UW Tacoma 19th & Grand Stair Safety Improvements
Tacoma, WA
Market
Higher Education
Services
Civil Engineering
Land Surveying
Landscape Architecture
Structural Engineering
Features
Project in Downtown Tacoma's Core
Preparation of 4 Design Concepts
ADA-Compliant Sidewalk Replacement
Close Coordination with City of Tacoma for Permitting
New University Identifier and sidewalk improvements increase safety.
The University of Washington Tacoma sought to improve the safety of pedestrians along the University’s stairs at the bottom of South 19th Street, east of Jefferson Street. AHBL worked collaboratively with the University and City of Tacoma to develop four potential solutions. The selected option involves the design of a row of bollards installed along the east side of Jefferson at the bottom of South 19th Street. These bollards, as well as a second row of bollards at the top of the stairs, will be able to stop a 15,000 lb. vehicle traveling at 50 mph from getting to the stairs. The rated bollards required a footing to tie the bollards together and to provide kinetic energy resistance.
The bollards consist of 10-inch diameter steel pipes filled with concrete. The bollards have a galvanized finish to match the materials of similar objects on the campus, such as railings and other miscellaneous posts/signs. AHBL’s landscape architects created a planting palette consisting of low shrubs and trees, providing visibility from the intersection down the stairs. The concrete sidewalk was restored with new cement concrete sidewalk. At the top of the stairs AHBL designed a University Identifier, a large "W", to provide added safety from debris during an incident.
