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With three new Link light rail stations come walking, biking, bus, parking and loading improvements!

Link light rail. Photo Credit: SDOT.

Summary 

  • Three new Link light rail stations on Sound Transit’s 1 Line arrive October 2 in the U-District, Roosevelt, & Northgate neighborhoods.  We are busy getting ready. 
  • Take a look at the connections we are working together to make across North Seattle.
  • A new pedestrian and bicycle bridge over I-5 at Northgate reconnects neighborhoods divided for 60 years and links North Seattle College to Link light rail. 
  • Protected bike lanes, neighborhood greenways, and improved sidewalks create family friendly routes to and from stations. 
  • On-street parking and loading zones near stations support those who live in, work in, and visit the neighborhoods. 
  • Free ORCA cards for Seattle Public School students make the buses and light rail more accessible.  
  • 26,000 bus service hours fill gaps and increase night owl service. 

Three new Link light rail stations on Sound Transit’s 1 Line arrive in the U-District, Roosevelt, & Northgate neighborhoods on October 2. They’ll take you to school, work, downtown, the airport, and more – and we’re ready to support all the new activity! 

Map credit: Sound Transit. 

With light rail trains coming every 8 minutes during peak hours and a trip from Northgate to Downtown only taking 14 minutes, enjoying the wonders of Seattle will soon be a breeze. 

Three transportation agencies are working together to make Seattle’s transportation system perform well.  

Take a look at the connections we are working together to make across North Seattle.

Each time Sound Transit expands light rail, King County Metro adapts bus service to help ensure people can get to it. Then we jump in and add family-friendly routes for walking, rolling, and biking and help Metro build new bus stops and find places for their drivers to rest, all while making sure on-street parking and loading works smoothly.  

We started making improvements around each station over the past few years. Many are funded by the voter-approved Levy to Move Seattle. Projects range from the new Northgate Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge to Vision Zero efforts such as our work on NE 65th St to innovative ways of planting trees on NE 43rd St ensuring trees and sidewalks remain undamaged for decades. 

Our curbside management team has been working with nearby communities to update on-street parking and loading with the goal of balancing the needs of everyone living or working near the stations, visiting the neighborhoods, and/or using Line 1 to commute. We studied the streets around the stations and updated our parking tools to accommodate everyone’s needs. In the coming weeks, you’ll see changes as we start installing new signs and pay stations. 

You may have noticed some of these improvements already!  

 Northgate Station Roosevelt Station  U-District Station 
WALKING, ROLLING, & BIKING 
The Northgate Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge will provide easier access to the station and buses. There will be new walking, rolling, scooting, and bicycle facilities in the area, including a new 2-way protected bike lane on 1st Ave NE between NE 92nd St and NE 103rd St, and a shared pedestrian-bicycle trail on 1st Ave NE north of NE 103rd St. 

The Wedgwood to Roosevelt Neighborhood Greenway is being completed for a safer connection for people walking, rolling, and biking between the Wedgwood Neighborhood Greenway and Roosevelt Way NE. This complements our NE 65th St Vision Zero project, which included a variety of improvements to safety, including a protected bike lane. New pedestrian improvements and bicycle facilities along NE 43rd St enhance access to the station, University of Washington, and other destinations around the U District. Read more. 
TAKING TRANSIT
Bus service moves to a new off-street transit center directly under the Link light rail station platform making 
connections to transit from all directions all the way to Everett, Kenmore, and Shoreline, and to Downtown, First Hill, South Lake Union, and SeaTac Airport.  

Bus stops along NE 65th Street are being moved closer to the station entrance, and there will be new covered bus stops for lines serving the SR-522 corridor and Lake City, Bothell, and Woodinville. 
On NE 43rd St, a new transit only street supports on-time and reliable bus service. There will also be a new westbound bus stop right outside the U-District Link light rail station at Brooklyn Wy NE.  


PARKING AND LOADING


On-street parking will be limited to 2-hours along 3rd Ave NE, 4th Ave NE, and NE 97th St, and we’ll add several new loading zones. 


The Restricted Parking Zone (RPZ) 19 permit area is expanding and some RPZ areas are converting to paid parking load zones are also being added. Read more. New load zones ae being installed and paid parking added to several blocks that are currently unrestricted parking. Read more. 

Thanks to Proposition 1, Seattle’s 2020 transit measure, we are revising and improving bus service across the city, connecting to all three stations and beyond, and providing Seattle Public School students ORCA cards.  

These investments are possible thanks to 80 percent of Seattle voters passing Proposition 1 last November, which created a revenue source for more frequent, reliable, accessible bus service in our city. Through a 0.15% sales tax (the equivalent of 15 cents on a $100 purchase) you are directly helping people in your community access transit. 

Look for these bus improvements starting October 2: 

  • A new route –Route 20— starts operating between Lake City and U District via Northgate, Greenlake, and Wallingford. This is a revision of the previous Route 26 and fills a gap created by discontinuing Route 41 and shifting Route 75 to its former path.  
  • More Night Owl service on Routes 7, 40, 48, 49, 65, 67 
  • Riders can start planning with Metro’s Quick Start guide, with more details in September.

Similar to past years, we continue to make using transit easier for Seattle Public School students by distributing fully-subsidized ORCA cards good for 12 months.  

Purchasing an ORCA card. Photo Credit: SDOT.

We are providing 12-month, fully-subsidized ORCA cards to all Seattle Public High School, income-eligible Middle School students, and Seattle Promise Scholars. We are updating our website with information on Middle School eligibility. This year, a new application is being introduced through the City’s Affordability Portal to make it easier for families to get an ORCA card for their student. The form will be available August 16, 2021. Discounted fares are available for customers with disabilities, passengers with lower incomes, youth, and seniors. Visit ORCAsavings.com to find the fare that’s right for you.

We hope you enjoy a more seamless experience traveling to and from the Link light rail stations!