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Seattle bids an appreciative farewell to Transportation Director Greg Spotts

Greg Spotts on his final day as SDOT Director as he travels through the city with community members and friends. Photo: Greg Spotts

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Today is Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) Director Greg Spotts’ final day on the job. Director Spotts was appointed to the role in September 2022 and led the department to increase the pace of construction during the final years of the 2015 Levy to Move Seattle, advanced new Vision Zero efforts, finalized the Seattle Transportation Plan, and celebrated the success of the 2024 Transportation Levy which voters overwhelmingly approved in November. Deputy Mayor Adiam Emery will become the SDOT Interim Director on February 4.

“I am excited to pass the baton to the next leader of SDOT, an agency which now has the plans and the resources to maintain and modernize Seattle’s streets and bridges,” said departing SDOT Director Greg Spotts. “I depart the Puget Sound with great enthusiasm for Seattle’s future, and profound gratitude for the opportunity to serve a dynamic, innovative and fast-growing city with unlimited potential.”

Director Spotts stepped into the role and immediately made safety his top priority. On his first day on the job he issued a call to action to create a Top-to-Bottom Review of SDOT’s Vision Zero Program to end traffic deaths and serious injuries. It led to the Vision Zero Action plan which established 22 broad strategies and over 80 concrete actions to prevent serious crashes.

During his first six months on the job, Director Spotts participated in more than 100 community-requested walks, bike rides, and transit rides to understand what was working well and what needed improvement. Throughout his tenure, Director Spotts continued to meet Seattleites in their communities and visit SDOT crews working all over the city, typically arriving by public transportation.

Director Spotts led the department to increase the pace of project design and construction under the “fast and flavorful” theme, breaking ground on more than 180 projects to maintain and modernize streets and bridges during his tenure. Spotts streamlined the scheduling of the smaller projects delivered by SDOT crews and enhanced accountability systems to keep large capital projects on track. In 2024, SDOT started construction on over 30 large contracted projects, over 2.5 times as many as recent years before his appointment.

Spotts oversaw the development of the Seattle Transportation Plan which was unanimously approved by the Seattle City Council in 2024. The plan detailed Seattle’s 20-year vision for transportation based on years of public input and engagement. Incorporating all travel modes and uplifting people streets and public spaces, the Seattle Transportation Plan serves as a guiding document for equitable, climate-smart investments in the street network over the next two decades.  

Spotts conducted additional listening tours during the development of the 2024 Transportation Levy, the eight-year $1.55 billion funding package to enhance the city’s transportation infrastructure including building sidewalks, paving streets, repairing bridges, and improving transit connections. In November 2024, Seattle residents approved the Transportation Levy with over 66 percent of the vote, a result of the broad-based supportive coalition assembled over the previous year.

SDOT Accomplishments Under Director Greg Spotts’ Leadership: