Students at Arbor Heights Elementary School can feel safer walking to and from school next year after the Seattle Department of Transportation completes construction of more than two blocks of sidewalks along Southwest 104th Street.

Crews will begin work by mid-December near the elementary school and hope to complete the initial work by the end of the year, depending on weather interruption, said Marybeth Turner, a spokeswoman for the transportation department. Construction of sidewalks typically takes two weeks.

Funding comes from the "Bridging the Gap" transportation levy that Seattle voters approved last fall. It provides about $2 million a year in funding for safety initiatives, including the Safe Routes to Schools program and the construction of new sidewalks.

The work in Arbor Heights will be done in two phases, with the first occurring this year. Next year, crews will complete the drainage and concrete work and stamped asphalt walkway.

Each phase is projected to cost about $35,000, said Turner.

Sidewalk construction can cost on average between $35,000 to $300,000 per block depending on the required construction material and or drainage concerns. Rising cost of fuel, curbs and landscaping can also add to the cost.

"Sidewalks are more expensive than anyone imagines," said Turner.

Special drainage work required for the Arbor Heights project has caused a delay, said Jim Curtin, project manager for the Safe Routes to School program.

Crews will have to cut into the roadway on Southwest 104th Street to install catch basins to absorb surface water produced by an "intermittent creek" that flows under the low point of the new sidewalk area.

That work will increase the cost of the project because it requires additional labor and materials, said Curtin.

The goal of the Safe Routes to School program is to build sidewalks around schools that are severely lacking in infrastructure as well as improve safety along designated school waking routes through education and enforcement, said Curtin.

"I will be working with the school to develop a traffic circulation plan to be used while construction is under way," he said. "This plan will be distributed to parents before construction begins and should help ease traffic concerns."

The project also includes additional signage on the roadway to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety.

"The purpose of this program is to...provide students and parents with alternatives to driving and promote healthy, active lifestyles," said Department of Transportation Director Grace Crunican.

The budget is limited so the city is able to complete three to five projects a year. Curtin plans to have schools selected for next year by the first week of December.

Earlier this year, Sanislo Elementary School was designated by the non-profit organization Feet First as a school in need of pedestrian infrastructure. Funded by Safe Routes to School, Feet First is working in three West Seattle Schools to promote a healthy lifestyle through biking and walking.

Curtin said Sanislo is definitely considered a priority but it will have to be evaluated through a set of standard curriculum, along with other schools "in dire need of infrastructure help."

Most schools in the central part of the city do have sidewalks, but ones on the outskirts in the north and south ends of the city have lacked pedestrian networks in general, said Curtin.

In addition to the Safe Routes to School program, sidewalk projects are underway in West Seattle along West Marginal Way Southwest between Southwest Dakota Street and Southwest Andover Street.

Approximately 500 linear feet of sidewalk is being installed on West Marginal Place Southwest to connect with an existing sidewalk that extends from West Marginal Place Southwest to South Dakota Street, said Turner. The project is part of the Duwamish Trail system.

For more information regarding the Safe Routes to School Program, visit www.seattle.gov/transportation/saferoutes.htm.

Rebekah Schilperoort may be reached at rebekahs@robinsonnews.com or 783.1244.