In response to the community concerns about high vehicle speeds and traffic safety around Tyee Middle School, the City of Bellevue Transportation Department plans to lower the speed limit from 25 mph to 20 mph on most public streets near Tyee Middle School in the Eastgate neighborhood between SE 36th ST and SE Newport Way, west of 150th Ave SE.

A segment of 146th Ave SE between SE Allen RD and SE 36th ST (and also Allen Road, an arterial) will remain signed at 25 mph as it is a transit route and carriers higher vehicle volumes than many of the other streets in Eastgate.

This speed limit reduction is the next phase in the wider project around Tyee Middle School that recently constructed new sidewalk and a mini roundabout near Tyee Middle School in early 2020.

Benefits Include:

• Create safer routes to school for children in the neighborhood
• Create a more comfortable environment for people walking
• Support the City’s Vision Zero effort to eliminate serious injury and fatal collisions on city streets by 2030

What to Expect

A traffic study, conducted in December 2021, assessed existing vehicle speeds. To lower the speed limit, existing speed limit signs will be replaced and new speed limit signs will be installed. Yard signs that indicate “20 is plenty” are available to community members by request, by contacting the project manager.

Evaluation

Following the implementation of the speed limit reduction, a follow-up traffic study will be conducted and results will be compared to the earlier study. A community survey also will be conducted; a postcard with a link to the survey will be mailed to households following installation.

The city is interested in reviewing speed limits on local streets as part of our Vision Zero program. Vision Zero is the city’s commitment to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries on city streets by 2030. In the city’s 2021 Vision Zero Action Plan, there is an action to “Develop a neighborhood slow zone program to reduce speed limits citywide to 20 mph”.

The speed limit reduction project near Tyee Middle School is the third 20 mph zone in Bellevue and is supporting the larger effort to review the appropriateness of 20 mph speed limits on additional local streets in Bellevue.

Timeline

The speed limit signs are expected to be changed as early as April 2022 following approval by the City Council in March.