Most of Bellevue’s fatal and serious-injury collisions occur on a relatively small number of city streets, known as the High Injury Network (HIN). To address safety concerns on these streets, Bellevue conducts road safety assessments (RSAs) to identify safety issues, particularly for vulnerable road users such as those walking, biking or rolling.
RSAs incorporate technical analysis with community engagement to identify potential improvements. In this way, the assessments are a data-informed and community-inspired approach to connect the HIN to implementation of potential traffic safety countermeasures. The City of Bellevue has completed eight assessments on arterials such as Northeast 8th Street and near Bellevue School Zones conducted between 2021-2023.
2025-2028 Road Safety Assessments
In 2024, the city was awarded federal funding through the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program to conduct road safety assessments for an additional 13.7 miles of the HIN between 2025-2029. There are seven RSAs planned between 2025-2027. Each RSA will be summarized in a draft Technical Memo and all SS4A funded RSAs will be combined in a final report, estimated for 2028. Completed road safety assessment Technical Memos are provided below:
Connecting assessments to implementation
The City Council has allocated $7.1 million in the city's budget for 2025-30 to implement rapid build road safety projects along High Injury Network (HIN) corridors. As RSAs are completed, the observations and suggestions from the report will inform the next study phase for the road segment – the Safe Streets Corridor study.
Safe Streets Corridor Studies
Safety issues identified by staff and the community through the RSAs are prioritized -- based on crash history, equity indicators, and other metrics -- for quick-build countermeasure improvements funded by the city's Vision Zero Rapid Build Safety Program (CIP PW-R-205). RSA-informed corridor safety improvement priorities along the HIN are also cross-referenced with upcoming/ongoing capital investment projects to identify implementation opportunities that pool city budget resources. Safety improvements can include radar feedback signs, wayfinding signage, pedestrian crossings, medians, speed cushions, traffic calming, asphalt art, before/after assessments and other tools to help inform future investments.
Staff also pursue external funding sources -- through grants and partnerships -- to accelerate the realization of HIN corridor safety improvements.
- In 2022, the city secured $1.24 million in federal Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funding for the Coal Creek Parkway Corridor Safety Improvement Project to design and construct improvements for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles.
- In 2024, the city secured $628,000 in federal Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funding for the NE 8th Street Complete Streets Safety Improvements to design and construct improvements for people who walk, bike, roll or drive a vehicle.
For more information on RSA, Safe Streets Corridor studies and related work, sign up for Vision Zero updates.
Background material
- News release (Jan. 5, 2022)