Filbert Street (FY 2020-22 Pedestrian & Biking Improvement)

We reviewed both sides of Filbert Street and the south side of the street would require significantly less linear feet of sidewalk to be built and nearly no slope easements. The north side would require more linear feet of sidewalk, slope easements (with possible retaining walls) and additional driveway work. With this comparison, the south side appears to provide the least impact and cost for a sidewalk on Filbert Street. Gathering inputs from the community is also part of our analysis and will help us discover if there are elements we have not considered.

We are not planning to narrow the street. The sidewalk will be built behind the existing curb.

Speed bumps are outside of the scope for this sidewalk project. We recommend visiting our Neighborhood Streets Program website for information on how to request neighborhood street safety improvements from our Traffic Engineering group.

We are not planning a painted crosswalk at Murray Boulevard.

This project’s scope and budget are limited to adding a sidewalk, so bike lanes are not included.

The county does not have existing easements specific to this project on private property. After project design is completed, our County Right-of-Way team will begin outreach to homeowners to discuss acquisition of any project-required rights-of-way or easements.

Some trees will be impacted to allow for this new sidewalk the installation of this pedestrian safety improvement. An arborist will review the alignment and make recommendations for tree management before and during construction.

The project was selected for funding based on public input and the need for a safe pedestrian route on Filbert Street, between Saltzman Road and Murray Boulevard.

Adding a sidewalk separate from the roadway and ADA-compliant curb ramps are the items considered and included in the scope for this pedestrian safety improvement project.

Reconfiguring Filbert Street to a one way street is beyond the scope of this sidewalk project. Please see our Neighborhood Streets Program for information on how to request neighborhood street safety improvements.

The sidewalk is planned to provide a safe walkway for pedestrians, separate from vehicles. We anticipate travel characteristics will remain the same, but with increased safety by moving pedestrians away from the roadway and providing ADA-compliant curb ramps.

During the selection process last year for County-wide URMD projects, postcards were sent out to addresses of the affected areas requesting public comment. We received a number of public comments regarding a sidewalk on Filbert Street from this outreach.

Pedestrian safety will be improved by providing a safe path for pedestrians to walk off of the roadway with vehicles. Regarding building other features or modifying the roadway, that is beyond the scope and budget of this sidewalk project. Please find information on traffic calming solutions for local roads and neighborhood routes on our Traffic Engineering webpage.

Parking will not be restricted by this project.

The County budget for sidewalk projects is limited. The approved $1.3 million budget for this project provides enough funds for the construction of a sidewalk on only one side of Filbert Street.

Homes in the vicinity of this project on Filbert Street were built by private builders in the 1950s and 1960s. Sidewalks were not a requirement at that time.

The project design needs to progress further on the selected sidewalk before it is submitted to CWS for review and approval. CWS will need to review the project for site development permit approval before we can begin construction. They will also inspect the project during construction.

We will coordinate with utilities that occur within the selected project alignment and in the county’s existing right-of-way.

Once the project design is finalized, County Right-of-Way agents will work with property owners to appraise and determine compensation for property and/or easements that we may need to acquire. An evaluation of existing improvements within those areas will be part of the agent’s discussion with property owners.