The City of Bellevue Transportation Department is planning improvements to 164th Avenue NE between Northup Way and NE 30th Street to make the road safer and more comfortable for everyone, especially people walking, biking and rolling. The proposed safety improvements are based on the result of the Safe Streets Corridor Study and the 2023 School Zone Road Safety Assessment, where students and community members shared their safety concerns with city staff. There were also two crashes in 2025 at the intersection of 164th Avenue NE and NE 24th Street that each seriously injured a person biking. The first phase of improvements would be installed in 2028 when the city repaves a portion of 164th Avenue Northeast.
Background
164th Avenue NE was identified for safety improvements because it is near multiple schools, has a history of serious injury crashes, and the street does not meet the Mobility Implementation Plan (MIP) targets for people walking and biking. The first step was to evaluate the corridor as part of the city’s Road Safety Assessments. During the assessment, city staff, students and community members expressed interest in providing space for people walking and biking. They were also concerned with limited marked crossings for students in the middle of blocks and with high vehicle speeds.
In 2025, city staff performed a corridor study to incorporate the feedback from the road safety assessment and create a preliminary design for improvements to 164th Avenue NE. The study recommended improvements for all types of road users, especially to make it safer for people walking, biking and taking transit.
This corridor is an important north-south route for people biking. It has been a designated bike route since the 2009 Pedestrian-Bicycle Plan and is a priority bicycle corridor in the Mobility Implementation Plan. It is also part of the arterial pedestrian network.
Project Description
The first phase of the project is being designed right now. The current design proposes to:
- Install multiple sets of speed cushions between Northup Way and NE 24th Street to address speeding concerns.
- Install a new marked crosswalk near the north leg of NE 18th Street
- Add bicycle lanes in both directions on 164th Avenue NE from Northup Way to NE 24th Street
- The bike lanes will include a striped buffer where space is available
- This would help people connect with existing bike infrastructure on NE Bel Red Road, Northup Way east of 164th Avenue NE, 164th Avenue NE south of Northup Way, and the East Bellevue Greenway
- Add a buffer to the eastbound bike lane on NE 24th St between 164th Avenue NE and the Sherwood Forest driveway
- Upgrade bus stops along the corridor to be ADA compliant.
- Where the street is being repaved, curb ramps will be upgraded to meet ADA requirements and marked crosswalks will be added on the side street crossings
- Improvements, including wider sidewalk and a planter strip, are also planned for the north and east sides of Interlake High School in conjunction with a school expansion project.
There is currently some on-street parking along the east side of 164th Avenue NE between NE 18th Street and NE 21st Place that would need to be removed to provide space for continuous bike lanes. Two parking studies were done in October 2025 and February 2026 to observe weekend and weekday parking usage, with the latter studying the usage of the adjacent residential parking zone on NE 21st Place and 165th Place NE. Each study counted the number of cars parked on weekends (10 a.m. and 2 p.m.), and weekdays (10 a.m. and 8 p.m.). These studies found that 7-9% of the parking along 164th Avenue NE that is proposed for removal was being used, with additional parking space available on the side streets. For the adjacent residential parking zone, the study found a 12-18% usage rate.
The project team is coordinating with Sherwood Forest Elementary School and looking at solutions to address community concerns about backups onto NE 24th St during school drop-off and pick-up times.
Additional phases of work are also proposed. Additional curb ramp upgrades and marked crosswalks will be added when the remaining portions of 164th Avenue NE are repaved, and additional improvements will be made adjacent to Interlake High School by Bellevue School District. An additional project is also proposed for 164th Avenue NE between NE 24th Street and NE 30th Street, which would add a shared use path to the east side of the street, upgrade curb ramps, and install additional marked crosswalks. This project has not yet started design and additional outreach would take place prior to any of these changes being made.
Timeline
- 2028: Construction of first phase of improvements. This will be coordinated with a project to repave a portion of the street.
- Late 2026 to 2027: Finalize design of phase 1. Coordinate with Sherwood Forest and Interlake High School on improvements to NE 24th Street and 164th Avenue NE.
- Fall 2025: Safe Streets Corridor Study completed
- February 2022: Road Safety Assessment completed