Find Posts By Topic

Home / Funding & Levies / Move Seattle

Major projects move a step closer to construction: Route 40 upgrades for 7,500+ daily riders, Ravenna area paving & safety, bridge seismic strengthening, Safe Routes to School, and more! | LEVY DOLLARS AT WORK

by on January 2, 2024
People cross the street in Ballard on a sunny day. Photo: SDOT

Blog stats: 1,500 words | 7-minute read

At-a-glance:

Before diving into the specifics of each project highlighted in this blog post, here are some quick definitions for your reference:

  • Contract advertisement: When SDOT publishes plans for contractors to bid on, after which one will be selected to build the project.
  • Bid opening: When the bids submitted to SDOT are opened and made public, including their price and other technical details.
  • Contract award: When SDOT awards the project contract to a specific contractor, an important step prior to the start of construction.

1) Route 40 Transit-Plus Multimodal Corridor project

Reducing transit travel times, improving transit reliability, and increasing safety and transit access along the Route 40 corridor, from Northgate to Pioneer Square

Status:

  • Advertised to contractors on December 22, 2023. Plan to select contractor in Q1 2024.

Key features include:

  • 3 total miles of Business Access and Transit (BAT) lanes and Freight and Bus (FAB) lanes
  • 5-10% transit travel time reductions
  • 47 upgraded ADA-accessible curb ramps
  • 8 new bus bulbs (for safer and more convenient boarding)
  • 6,000+ feet of upgraded sidewalks

You can find more information on our website or in this recent blog post.

A bus travels down the street in front of large buildings on a sunny day.
The King County Metro Route 40 bus in downtown. Photo credit: King County Metro

2) 11th Ave NE & 12th Ave NE Paving & Safety Project

Repaving 11th Ave NE and 12th Ave NE, adding protected bike lanes, curb ramps, crossing improvements, and other safety improvements in Roosevelt, Ravenna, and U District neighborhoods.

Status:

  • Advertised to contractors on November 29, 2023. Opened bids on December 20, 2023. Plan to select contractor in early 2024.

Key features include:

  • Street paving of 11th and 12th Aves NE between NE 43rd and NE 67th Streets, including accessible curb ramps along the corridor.
  • New protected bike lane on the east side of 11th Ave NE & 12th Ave NE, to build out the neighborhood’s bike network. The eastside protected bike lane also reduces parking removal.
  • Raised protected bike lanes at bus stops allowing for a continuous protected bike lane at bus stops along the corridor.
  • Spot sidewalk repairs along the project corridor, making it easier to walk or roll on sidewalks in the neighborhood.
  • Enhanced crosswalks and traffic signals throughout the project corridor to improve safety for people walking, rolling, and biking. This includes new crosswalks at NE 55th St, NE Ravenna Blvd, and NE 62nd St.

You can learn more on the project web page.

People stand in front of a large building with a street in the foreground. One person is crossing the street. It is a sunny day with blue skies.
The Roosevelt Link light rail station on a sunny day, at the corner of NE 65th St. Photo: SDOT

3) Safe Routes to School – Broadview-Thomson & Cedar Park Elementary Enhancements

Improving connections to Broadview Thomson K-8 and Cedar Park Elementary School

Status:

  • Advertised to contractors on November 29, 2023. Opened bids on December 20, 2023. Plan to select contractor in early 2024.

Key features around Broadview Thomson K-8 school include:

  • New sidewalks on both sides of Greenwood Ave N between N 125th St and N 130th St
  • Neighborhood greenway on 1st Ave NW and Palatine Ave N between N 110th St and N 130th St
  • Neighborhood greenway on 1st Ave NW and N 132nd St between Greenwood Ave N and N 137th St
  • Sidewalk widening on the west side of Greenwood Ave N between N 132nd St, and the mid-block pedestrian signal to the south
Map showing the location of improvements near Broadview Thomson K-8 School in Seattle. New sidewalks along Greenwood Ave N, between N 125th St and N 130th St on the east side, and between N 127th St and N 130th St on the west side, are shown in blue.
Map of project improvements. Graphic: SDOT.

Key features around Cedar Park Elementary school include:

  • New sidewalk on the south side of NE 135th St between Lake City Way NE and 35th Ave NE
  • New neighborhood greenway on NE 135th St between 27th Ave NE and 37th Ave NE with associated treatments:
    • Asphalt pathway connecting the street ends on NE 135th St between 27th Ave NE and 30th Ave NE
    • New marked crosswalks on both arterial legs of 30th Ave NE & NE 135th St
    • New marked crosswalk with RRFB on the north leg of 35th Ave NE & NE 135th St
Map showing improvements along NE 135th St near Cedar Park Elementary, between 27th Ave NE and 37th Ave NE.
Map of project improvements. Graphic: SDOT.

What is Safe Routes to School?

The Safe Routes to School Program strives to reduce barriers and equitable access for school students by improving walking and biking connections to schools by ensuring sidewalks, marked crosswalks, and asphalt pathways have positive impacts in community.

You can learn more about both sets of safety and mobility enhancements by visiting the project web page.

4) Route 48 Transit-Plus Multimodal Corridor project

Reducing transit times, improving bus reliability, and improving safety through Mt Baker, Beacon Hill, Judkins, Central District, Montlake, and University District neighborhoods.

Status:

  • Advertised to contractors on September 28, 2023. Opened bids on October 18, 2023. Awarded contract to KC Equipment.

Key features include:

  • Bus improvements: Bus-only lanes to separate the bus from traffic (depending on the location, bus lanes may replace parking lanes or travel lanes)
  • Walking and biking improvements: Improvements to crossings at intersections to help people access transit safely
  • Signal upgrades: Signals that prioritize transit with queue jumps that give buses a head start and “smart signals” that activate or extend green lights for buses

You can learn more by visiting the project web page.

A King County Metro bus number 48 waits at a bus stop on a partly sunny fall day. Large buildings and mature trees are in the background.
Metro bus route 48 travels in Seattle’s Central District near Garfield High School. Photo: SDOT

5) Pedestrian bridge seismic reinforcement projects in several locations

Makes improvements to pedestrian bridges in several locations across the city for earthquake resiliency in the event of an earthquake.

Status:

  • Advertised to contractors on December 27, 2023. Plan to select contractor(s) in Q1 2024.

Key locations include:

  • N 41st St over Aurora Ave N in north Fremont
  • 13th Ave NW and Holman Rd NW in Crown Hill
  • Delridge Way SW and SW Oregon St in Delridge area of West Seattle
  • NE 45th St at 47th Ave NE in Laurelhurst

You can learn more by visiting these project web pages:

Photo of a pedestrian bridge crossing over a street on a sunny day. Cars are in the background, and grass and a large tree are to the right.
The Delridge Way SW pedestrian bridge in West Seattle. Photo: SDOT

6) 15th Ave NE/NE 105th St bridge seismic reinforcement in north Seattle

Builds on previous strengthening of the 15th Ave NE Bridge, including several modifications to increase seismic resiliency of the existing bridge piers and reduce the bridge’s vulnerability to earthquakes.

Status:

  • Advertised to contractors on December 27, 2023. Plan to award contract in Q1 2024.

Key features include:

  • This project builds on previous strengthening and includes several modifications to seismically strengthen existing bridge piers and reduce the bridge’s vulnerability to earthquakes.
  • The 15th Ave NE Bridge is a 480 feet long concrete bridge designed by Homer Hadley and constructed in 1949 using innovative techniques, but prior to the modernization of the seismic design code.
  • Spanning a forested ravine over Thornton Creek and connecting to Northgate Way area, it carries both vehicular and pedestrian traffic and is supported by five concrete piers.
  • SDOT strengthened the original concrete box girders, added new abutments, and made other improvements to the bridge in 2011.

You can learn more by visiting the project web page.

A tall concrete bridge structure stands amidst trees and greenery on a partially foggy day.
View of the 15th Ave NE bridge at NE 105th St in north Seattle, from the bottom of the ravine. Photo: SDOT.

7) 4th Ave protected bike lane upgrades

Upgrading the existing protected bike lane along 4th Ave through downtown Seattle, between Jefferson and Vine St, to add stronger concrete barriers to better protect people biking.

Status:

  • Advertised to contractors on November 8, 2023. Opened bids on December 6, 2023. Plan to award contract to Westwater Construction Company.

Key features include:

  • Removing existing paint and post elements
  • Installing concrete barriers within the existing painted buffer space

You can learn more by visiting the project web page.

Several people bike along a protected bike lane with buses and cars traveling along the street next to them, in the same direction. Buildings and trees are in the background.
People ride along the 4th Ave protected bike lane in downtown Seattle when it first opened in fall 2021. Photo credit: Jeanne Clark.

Thank you for your interest, and we look forward to selecting contractors and beginning construction on these important projects in 2024.

Editor’s note (January 3, 2024): corrected the contractor listed for the 4th Ave protected bike lane upgrades project.

Filed Under: Accessibility, Biking, Busses, Community Involvement, Funding & Levies, General, Move Seattle, Pedestrians, Safety, SDOT, Traffic and Construction, Transit Tagged With: , , , , , ,