Asphalt walkway on 15th Ave NE

A reader sent in photos of a new asphalt walkway on 15th Ave NE between 94th and 97th St. This project was requested by the community and funded by the Neighborhood Projects Fund.

Asphalt walkway on 15th Ave NE
Asphalt walkway on 15th Ave NE

Better than nothing I suppose, but assuming they survive the elements over the next 5-10 years, what’s to prevent them from becoming parking strips for local residents and their guests? Nor do they connect with the nearest bus stop. Meanwhile we hear about the ‘war on cars’. I think that war was lost years ago.

While the new asphalt walkway certainly isn’t as good as a legitimate sidewalk, it does appear to be better than what was there before.

15th Ave NE before walkway construction

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1 Response to “Asphalt walkway on 15th Ave NE”


  • Seattle has approximately 12,000 street block faces that lack sidewalks. The number of blocks lacking sidewalks far exceeds the resources available to build them and SDOT only has funding to build approximately 10 to 20 block face equivalents per year.

    SDOT looks for ways to maximize the impact of our funds by using less expensive construction materials like asphalt. It is not only less costly, but also can be placed faster than concrete, helping stretch our dollars further.

    On 15th Ave NE between NE 94th and NE 97th streets, SDOT addressed the neighborhood’s desire to improve pedestrian accessibility and upgrade drainage infrastructure. We did so with a modest budget by utilizing asphalt for the walkway, and replacing and covering an old drainage culvert. SDOT also separated the roadway from the sidewalk with a landscaping strip, which will deter parking and improve the pedestrian walking environment.

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