City says work starting on latest 23rd Ave overhaul adding bus-friendly traffic signals, safer crossings, and a short stretch of ‘transit-only’ lanes

(Image: SDOT)

The city’s department of transportation is following up on the 23rd Ave corridor’s road diet with a scaled-back project to improve bus service through the busy route connecting the coming soon Judkins Park Station and the Central District to the University of Washington across the backside of Capitol HIll.

The Seattle Department of Transportation isn’t saying when work will wrap up as crews have begun digging in on the north end of the $2.6 million Route 48 – Transit-Plus Multimodal Corridor project that will add limited bus-only lanes to separate transit from traffic, improve crossings at intersections “to help people access transit safely,” and add new optimized and “smart” traffic signals “that prioritize transit with queue jumps that give buses a head start and “activate or extend green lights for buses” to the route.

“We are excited to announce that construction on the Route 48 Transit-Plus Multimodal Corridor project’s North Segment is kicking off,” the announcement from SDOT reads. “We’re making these improvements to reduce bus travel times, increase bus service reliability, and make street crossings safer for people getting to bus stops.”

UPDATE: SDOT tells CHS they hope to have the completed “the majority of the work” by the end of 2024.

The upgrades will be missing one key component. Continue reading

Metro’s plan for RapidRide G service changes includes return of bus service to Capitol Hill’s I-5 Shores

A new Metro coach ready for the center-loading RapidRide G line (Image: Metro)

King County Metro is planning for the return of Route 47 to serve Capitol Hill’s Summit and Bellevue Ave neighborhoods — kind of.

Metro and King County Executive Dow Constantine have arrived at a finalized plan for changes to area bus routes to better connect and optimize service with the planned 2024 opening of the RapidRide G bus line on Madison.

CHS reported here in December on Metro’s ongoing process to weigh rider feedback against available resources and hopes for increased service frequencies on key lines connecting to the RapidRide route.

Metro has been set on other changes including Route 10 and Route 12 with a proposal for the lines to be “reoriented” to operate along E Pine instead of E John and Madison, until they turn north on 15th Ave and 19th Ave. Metro is also going ahead with a plan to move Route 11 off Pine.

But the future of the former Route 47 service had been up in the air. Under the final plan being submitted for approval by the King County Council, Metro would restore service in the areas along Summit and Bellevue by “extending some Route 3 trips to restore trolley bus service in western Capitol Hill where the former Route 47 operated.” Continue reading

Sound Transit says light rail service through Seattle back to normal after downtown tunnel work

 

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(Image: Sound Transit)

That was a drag. Sound Transit says service has returned to normal on its light rail 1 Line meaning smoother rides between Capitol Hill and the route’s stations south of downtown.

CHS reported here on the January disruptions planned to allow crews to do much needed maintenance, repair, and upgrade work in the downtown transit tunnel. Sound Transit said the work included replacement of 500 feet of northbound track between University Street and Westlake “at the sharpest curve in the entire Link system.”

Those repairs and upgrades meant riders hoping to travel to and from Capitol Hill Station for destinations like airport either had to rely on shuttles or finding a Metro bus route alternative.

Along the way, additional service disruptions piled on including this ventilation failure at Westlake Station.

But the larger project was completed on schedule and Sound Transit says full service has restarted as planned. Continue reading

With Madison RapidRide G work wrapping up this year, Eastlake RapidRide J ready to dig in

Sen. Patty Murray delivered the big check to Seattle (Image: City of Seattle)

Eastlake will be the next area neighborhood to get the RapidRide treatment. This week, Seattle officials are celebrating a $64.2 million grant to help pay for it.

The RapidRide J route will connect the University District to Southlake Union via the core of the Eastlake neighborhood in a construction project expected to begin this summer and be completed sometime in 2027.

“Americans depend on fast, affordable, and safe transportation options to get to work, pursue their education, and come home every day to their families” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said about the grant. “Bus rapid transit is the fastest-growing transit mode for a good reason, and the Biden-Harris administration’s $64.2 million investment will build out Seattle’s RapidRide J Line to provide faster, more efficient service that benefits the greater Seattle area.”

The full project including two new miles of bus priority lanes and 3.7 miles of “protected bike facilities” has a $128 million cost estimate. Continue reading

$410M price tag for downtown connector as First Hill Streetcar continues to stand alone

The Seattle 1st Ave streetcar plan now known as the Cultural Connector might be permanently stalled

With a new $410 million price tag for a long-planned connection to the line, it looks like the First Hill Streetcar will remain a stub.

When service first began in February 2016 on the 10-station route connecting Capitol Hill’s Broadway through the International District to Pioneer Square after a multi-year, $133 million construction project to complete the line, there were hopes of extensions of the trolley and bikeway up Broadway and, eventually, across downtown to connect with the South Lake Union line.

The Aloha extension plan was axed long ago. Now the 1st Ave connection seems to be doomed. Continue reading

Metro: Still no decision on Summit/Bellevue bus service

Metro says it hasn’t yet made a final decision but more people have told it they support higher frequency of service on other routes over providing buses on Bellevue Ave and Summit Ave north of Olive Way.

In a “progress report” on the process to overhaul area bus lines in anticipation of the opening of the RapidRide G line in 2024, Metro says “a slim majority” of the some 1,600 people who responded to its survey preferred more frequent service over adding extended routes to serve Bellevue and Summit.

Metro has already decided on other changes including Route 10 and Route 12 with a proposal for the lines to be “reoriented” to operate along E Pine instead of E John and Madison, until they turn north on 15th Ave and 19th Ave. Metro is also going ahead with a plan to move Route 11 off Pine. Continue reading

Downtown tunnel work will bring ‘major disruption’ to light rail in January

2024 will begin with a drag for light rail riders. Work to replace tracks in the downtown transit tunnel will mean interrupted service between Capitol Hill Station and SODO for a few weeks to start the new year, Sound Transit says.

The work schedule and disruptions will vary depending on what day of the week you are riding:

On weekends, 1 Line trains will run every 10-15 minutes between Northgate–Capitol Hill, and between SODO–Angle Lake. Between Capitol Hill–SODO, there will be no 1 Line service, and a Link shuttle will serve all closed stations every 10-15 minutes. Continue reading

Madison RapidRide G construction still has a year to go — Madison Valley businesses say they might not make it

Work on the route through downtown is pretty much complete (Image: Seattle Department of Transportation)

By CHS’s calculations, construction along the Madison corridor to create the new RapidRide G bus line has another year to go. But a merchant group representing businesses along the route says patience with the construction mess, utility shutdowns, and transit impacts has run out.

“The RapidRide G – Madison St project now sits at 75% completion!,” the Seattle Department of Transportation announced in its latest construction update this week on the 2.4-mile route promising six-minute service during most hours of the day between 1st Ave downtown and MLK Jr Way in Madison Valley with stops across First Hill and Capitol Hill along the way.

But the Madison Valley Merchants Association isn’t celebrating. The group is calling on the city and Mayor Bruce Harrell to implement a small business council to address “the city’s lack of communication and planning regarding the Madison BRT project,” Marceil Van Camp, board member and owner of Kamp Social House, tells CHS.

The association cites “a substantial loss of 20% of the businesses along the Madison Avenue corridor, spanning from 24th Avenue East to 32nd Avenue East” and says  “an additional loss of 10% is anticipated by the conclusion of 2023” in a letter documenting its complaints. “This persistent decline is unsustainable for the well-being of the Madison Valley community, especially when weighed against the benefits derived from the Madison Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) – RapidRide G Line project,” it reads.

Van Camp says other areas along Madison have also met with the Greater Seattle Business Association about the challenges.

The full letter can be found at the end of this report.

While the letter also cites some familiar, sometimes shortsighted concerns around things like the loss of street parking, there are plenty of more substantial issues raised in the letter including the haphazard re-routes and wholesale loss of transit service by existing key routes in the area. In its latest construction update, SDOT says the detour of Route 8 away from Madison Valley will last for months into 2024.

Unfortunately, the pains for those living along the route of the Madison project are not new. Continue reading

Didn’t tap at Capitol Hill Station? Sound Transit Fare Ambassadors to start (friendly) crack down on nonpayment

(Image: Sound Transit)

Sound Transit Fare Ambassadors aren’t messing around anymore.

Starting November 15th, riders at Capitol Hill Station and the light rail system and other Sound Transit services will need to tap in and tap out — but the agency is taking a lenient approach to the new fare enforcement policy.

Riders who don’t pay will be allowed two warnings in a 12-month period. After that, the gloves come off.

“On the third and fourth interactions without proof of payment, passengers will be issued violations that can be resolved with Sound Transit through non-monetary options such as an online class or engagement activity, or with a $50 fine for the third violation, and a $75 fine for the fourth,” Sound Transit warns.

“Repeat non-payment… will result in a civil infraction, which may be referred to the district court,” Sound Transit says.

The agency depends on fares for a big chunk — around 7% — of its operating budget. Unlike some major metro transit systems around the world, Sound Transit has designed its stations without payment gates or turnstiles.

Continue reading

RapidRide on Broadway: How would you prioritize these 18 Capitol HIll and Central District street and transportation projects for the next 20 years?

 

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The Seattle Department of Transportation is collecting public feedback on a roster of dozens of street, sidewalk, and mobility projects around the city as planners try to round out the city’s next 20-year transportation plan.

Included in the mix are 18 projects on and around Capitol Hill and the Central District including a few in vital connecting neighborhoods like downtown Seattle.

CHS reported here on the August publication of the draft Seattle Transportation Plan including a framework that would create more safe and efficient protected areas for bikers along arteries, a proliferation of transit-only lanes, and new light rail lines criss-crossing Capitol Hill and the Central District along 23rd Ave and Denny Way.

Now SDOT has further fleshed-out some of the concepts in the proposed plan as it seeks more feedback. The priorities will also likely shape the city’s next transportation levy as the current levy expires next year. You have until November 20th to add your priorities and thoughts.

“After a multi-year community visioning and planning process, we have identified a list of candidate transportation projects and potential program activities for the public to review and provide feedback,” SDOT writes. “These proposed projects and programs support the STP’s 20-year vision for Seattle’s transportation network.”

SDOT says the projects were shaped by the city’s growth strategies and equity priorities.

The Central Seattle roster covers Capitol Hill, the Central District, and nearby neighborhoods like Montlake, Madison Valley, and First Hill. Continue reading