(Image: SDOT)

After a decade of planning including three years of construction, it is only in recent weeks that many elements of the $135 million RapidRide G bus rapid transit project connecting downtown, First Hill, Capitol Hill, and Madison Valley are finally visible.

The Seattle Department of Transportation is finally laying down the paint.

To cut on costs and save money while also making massive infrastructure and water main upgrades along the route of the soon-to-be completed project, the city is using painted features rather than concrete along the coming soon bus line.

“Many features along this route, such as curb bulbs, are being executed with paint instead of solid, concrete-poured structures primarily due to cost considerations,” an SDOT spokesperson said. “Utilizing paint allows us to implement traffic calming and pedestrian safety measures more affordably, while still achieving the desired improvements.”

The department says not all of the coming RapidRide G paint is a cost saving measure. Some of the paint was in the plans from the beginning like markings to help ensure drivers don’t park near crosswalks.

But it is the latest example of the city’s current approach to street safety projects that emphasize fast to implement, lower cost elements even in major, long-term projects like the RapidRide G line.

The emphasis can have its consequences. CHS reported here on planning and layout mistakes made around the transition of Pike and Pine to one-way traffic and new bike lanes along the route that have community street safety representatives saying, “I told you so.”

CHS also reported on pedestrian safety at Harvard and E Olive Way where community members expressed their concerns over painted features near crosswalks having little impact on safety. SDOT says the use of these painted features were incorporated into the planning process as an option to help mitigate costs while working towards project completion.

SDOT says the strategy is a fiscal necessity. “As the project developed, SDOT identified areas where painted features could be effectively utilized without compromising the overall safety and functionality of the corridor,” Mariam Ali, SDOT’s deputy press secretary, told CHS. “This approach was considered as part of a broader strategy to maximize the impact of available funding,” Ali said.

SDOT says the painted features are a fraction of the cost of constructing more permanent ones, and that cost-saving allows the department to allocate funds to other aspects of the project, like upgrading infrastructure and transit amenities.

RapidRide G broke ground in 2021. While the project will bring major transit, biking, walking, and driving safety improvements, neighborhood businesses and residents have had a rough ride during the years of construction. RapidRide G work included millions of dollars of attached utility and infrastructure work by the city that has created months of major challenges for businesses and residents living along Madison.

“While approximately $135 million has been allocated to the Madison St. RapidRide G Line Project, budget constraints and the city’s deficit have necessitated cost-effective solutions, such as opting for painted features, to ensure the project’s completion within financial limits,” Ali said.

The project does have some solidity including massive amounts of concrete poured to replace streets torn up by the infrastructure work, new bus shelters, center-running stations hoped to allow for quicker loading and unloading, a new comfort station and a new bus layover area.

SDOT, meanwhile, will spend spring and summer painting new pedestrian crosswalks, stop bars and lane lines along RapidRide G from downtown towards First Hill and Capitol Hill. The department expects this work to be finished in August, and will then paint the bus lines in red and the bike lanes in green.

King County Metro, which will operate the new bus line when it begins service after summer, did not respond to our questions about the painted RapidRide features.

The Seattle City Council, meanwhile, has begun debate over the final touches on the city’s $1.45 billion transportation levy proposal.

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