We are halfway through our paving and redesign work in and around Green Lake thanks to your Levy to Move Seattle dollars at work!

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Summary

• We made the intersection of NE Ravenna Blvd, NE 71st St, and E Green Lake Way N more predictable for everyone. 
• Changes will help with visibility – especially for people driving, who can now more easily spot people walking and rolling. 
• We also wrapped up significant work on N 40th and N 50th St in July 2020. 
• We are also building a 2-way protected bike lane around the Lake, which will transition to 1-way bike lanes at the intersection of W Green Lake Way N and E Green Lake Way N and extend to N 46th St. 
• You can expect progress in the coming year on N 80th St and E Green Lake Way & on Stone Way N from N 45th St to N 50th St. 

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There’s about one more year left in our work in and around Green Lake to create safer places for everyone – whether you’re walking, rolling, biking, taking transit, or driving – by repaving and redesigning certain intersections and streets.  

Paving projects like these create opportunities to update street design, which can improve safety and move people and goods more efficiently in a growing Seattle. Your tax dollars through the Levy to Move Seattle make these projects possible. Thank you! 

Today, we’ll highlight what’s been completed to-date. Take a look at our project website for details on all of the work that’s taking place as part of this project. 

We made the intersection of NE Ravenna Blvd, NE 71st St, and E Green Lake Way N more predictable for everyone. 

This five-way intersection relies on stop signs to coordinate traffic flow. 

We made the intersection into as much of a square shape as possible, as shown above (look at the crosswalks to see the visual difference in crossing distance, especially on the left side of the image). Previously, the intersection included much longer crossing distances and was in more of a parallelogram or pentagon shape. This “squaring up” was accomplished by adding curb bulbs to shorten the crossing distance and widening the sidewalks on the west side of the street.  

This will help with visibility – especially for people driving, who can now more easily spot people walking and rolling. This also changes the way that people biking move through the intersection. Rather than moving with vehicle traffic, people biking will act more like people walking and rolling when riding through the intersection. 

We also added a rapid flashing beacon one block south of the intersection, at NE Ravenna Blvd to improve safety for people crossing. 

Here’s a refresher on how to use this new intersection: 

If you’re driving, please remember that people walking and rolling always have the right of way. Once that is provided, there are four possible directions you can go when you approach. Here’s what to do: 

Heading northeast on E Green Lake Way N: there is one lane of travel and the right turn lane has been removed.  Either go straight and continue onto E Green Lake Dr N or turn right onto NE Ravenna Blvd or NE 71^st St. 

Heading northwest on Ravenna Ave NE: there has been no change to the one travel lane. Either go right onto NE 71^st St, straight onto E Green Lake Dr N, or left onto E Green Lake Way N. 

Heading south on E Green Lake Dr N: two lanes remain. Either go straight and continue onto E Green Lake Way N, or use the left lane to turn left onto NE 71^st St or Ravenna Ave NE.  

Heading west from NE 71^st St: there is now one lane of travel and no right turn lane. Either turn right onto E Green Lake Dr N, go straight onto E Green Lake Way N, or turn left onto Ravenna Ave NE. 

If you’re biking: You’ll now move more like people walking through the intersection. Follow the green cross-bike markings which run along the crosswalks. The two-way bike lane around the Green Lake will help you avoid bike conflicts on E Green Lake Dr/Way N. 

If you’re walking or rolling: Wait at new curb bulbs until it is safe to cross, and follow the white crosswalk markings. Remember: people walking or rolling always have the right of way. 

We wrapped up significant work on N 40th and N 50th St in July 2020.  

On N 40th St from Stone Way to Latona Ave NE: 

We upgraded or added 100 curb ramps; repaired sidewalks near bus shelters, homes, and key intersections; added rapid flashing beacons at Bagley Ave N and 2nd Ave NE to improve visibility for people walking; and performed ongoing maintenance of street trees. 

On N 50th St from Phinney Ave N to Roosevelt Way NE: 

We widened bike lanes between Phinney Ave N and Stone Way N to improve comfort and safety for people biking; more clearly marked the bike lanes to separate people driving and biking, as well as parked cars 

We also upgraded or added more than 170 curb ramps and added rapid flashing beacons at two intersections: N 50th St and Dayton Ave N and N 50th and Woodland Park Ave N. 

We are also building a 2-way protected bike lane around the Lake, which will transition to 1-way bike lanes at the intersection of W Green Lake Way N and E Green Lake Way N and extend to N 46th St. 

Especially now, people who live, work, and visit Seattle need safe, healthy, and affordable options to get around. These protected bike lanes join our other recent protected bike lane projects (like the new 4th Ave protected bike lane!) to help people travel safely, efficiently, sustainably, and inexpensively. 

You can expect progress on other parts of this project in the coming year! 

• On N 80th St and E Green Lake Way: We have begun work on N 80^th St this fall and are continuing work along E Green Lake Way focused on utility, sidewalk/curb ramp, drainage, and road panel work.  We expect to complete final paving in Spring 2021.  
• On Stone Way N from N 45th St to N 50th St: Construction will be completed at a later date under a separate contract. We expect to have updates to share in early 2021.

For reference, here is a map that shows the full project area: 

This project is funded by the Levy to Move Seattle, and brings together many different efforts that the Levy supports. Once complete, these improvements in and around Green Lake is one of the most significant investments made with your tax dollars through the Levy. 

Stay tuned for updates on our continued progress on our Green Lake and Wallingford Paving & Multi-Modal Improvements!