Improvements were made to a section of North Water St. from Main to Brady streets, creating a more welcoming environment for pedestrians and cyclists while honoring the rich history of the Mill District.
Enhancements include a decrease in the width of the road to reduce speeding, additional crosswalks, more diagonal parking, pedestrian bump outs, updated and new brick streetscape, street lighting and resurfacing. The finished project creates a streetscape similar to the rest of downtown Kent.
The budget was $1.43 million. A $1.14 million grant from ODOT covered 80% of the project cost.
Work was completed in Fall 2021. Since then, there has been a significant reduction in the speed of traffic on this section of road. The percentage of vehicles traveling less than 20 mph went from 13% pre-construction to 37% in the fall of 2021. Average speeds were reduced between two and four miles per hour.