The public is invited to comment on Pierce County’s draft plan to bring existing pedestrian facilities – including sidewalks, curb ramps, pedestrian push buttons and driveway entrances – into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Aug. 1-30.

Pierce County’s draft Americans with Disabilities Act Transition Plan for Public Rights-of-Way will guide the county in bringing existing facilities into compliance with the ADA. This plan is required by the ADA and applies to county-owned facilities within the public road right-of-way in unincorporated Pierce County.

The draft plan includes elements such as how facilities will be evaluated for compliance, how facilities will be prioritized for improvement, how much it will cost to improve each type of facility, funding sources, a timeline for improvements, as well as design standards and procedure improvements to achieve compliance for new infrastructure.

“Approximately $100 million is needed to bring existing facilities into compliance, based on our 2018 facility inventory,” said Brian D. Stacy, Planning and Public Works county engineer. “The draft plan documents how we will work to make our pedestrian facilities more accessible for the public.”

Public comment sought
The draft plan is available for review at www.piercecountywa.gov/ADAtransition. An online open house that provides a high-level overview of the draft plan is also available on the webpage. The online open house includes a short survey at the end.

Comment will also be accepted through the webpage, via email to Courtney Pompa, Pierce County ADA Transition Plan Lead, at courtney.pompa@piercecountywa.gov or via mail to Pierce County Planning and Public Works, Attn. Courtney Pompa, 2702 S 42nd St., Suite 109, Tacoma, WA 98409.

Next steps
Once the public comment period ends, Pierce County staff will review the feedback and submit the draft plan to the Pierce County Council this fall for consideration.

The plan will be updated every five years to track progress, refine prioritization methods, and update program costs. Each update will include a public comment period.

Background
Pierce County is required under Title II of the ADA to develop a Self-Evaluation Report and an ADA Transition Plan.

Pierce County’s Americans with Disabilities Act Public Rights-of-Way Self-Evaluation Report, which was completed in 2015, included the examination of county policies related to the ADA and an inventory that identified whether existing pedestrian facilities are in compliance with the ADA. This inventory was initially completed in 2015 and has been maintained as new facilities are built or improved.

As part of the self-evaluation process, Pierce County gathered feedback from the public about which types of pedestrian facility defects pose the biggest impact to accessibility, and which locations are most important for the public to be able to reach without barriers to access. The feedback was gathered at four public meetings held in November 2014 and from an online survey.

The Self-Evaluation Report is available at www.piercecountywa.gov/ADAtransition.

Media Contact:
Anne Radford, Planning and Public Works public information specialist
(253) 798-2464
anne.radford@piercecountywa.gov