We’re working with King County Metro to install a two-way transit pathway on Columbia St between Alaskan Way and 3rd Ave, opening to transit in early 2020. This pathway will support all-day transit service between West Seattle and downtown Seattle by creating an efficient and reliable route for buses to access the new Viaduct-free Alaskan Way in early 2020, relocating these routes from 1st Ave and 4th Ave.
These changes are crucial to the next step in opening up the Waterfront for transit use and are the final step of the larger project to reconstruct Columbia St to accommodate two-way transit operation.
Here’s what you can expect.
Click here to download our Columbia St transit pathway flyer:
Between Alaskan Way and Western Ave:
- The southern curb lane will be a 24-hour bus-only lane to allow buses to travel eastbound on Columbia St.
- The center lane will be a left turn only lane onto southbound Alaskan Way.
- The northern curb lane will be a 24-hour bus-only left turn lane onto southbound Alaskan Way.
Between Western Ave and 1st Ave:
- The southern curb lane will be a 24-hour bus-only lane to allow buses to travel eastbound on Columbia St. There will also be 24-hour bus-only lane to travel westbound toward Alaskan Way.
- The two other lanes are for traffic turning left onto southbound Western Avenue or heading straight toward Alaskan Way and a right turn only lane onto northbound Western Avenue.
Between 1st Ave and 2nd Ave:
- The southern curb lane will be changed to a 24-hour bus-only lane to allow buses to travel eastbound on Columbia St.
- The existing left turn only lane will be converted to a left turn plus through lane.
- A new bus signal will be installed at Columbia St and 2nd Ave to keep the new eastbound buses moving.
Between 2nd Ave and 3rd Ave:
- The southern curb lane will be changed to a 24-hour bus-only lane to allow eastbound buses on Columbia St to turn left onto 3rd Ave.
- The existing westbound through lane adjacent to the new lane will be converted to a left turn plus through lane.
- A new bus signal will be installed at Columbia St and 3rd Ave to manage the new left turning bus traffic.
Which buses will use the Columbia St Transit Pathway?
West Seattle, Burien, and neighboring area buses including the 21x, 37, 55, 56, 57, 113, 120, 121, 122, 123, 125, and the RapidRide C Line will use this new pathway.
West Seattle bus riders, we heard you about the extended travel times on 1st Ave through Pioneer Square this summer. Working with King County Metro, we moved southbound buses to 4th Ave S and temporarily moved northbound buses to that pathway while S Dearborn St was closed.
Northbound buses will remain on the 1st Ave pathway and southbound buses will remain on 4th Ave S until early 2020, when these buses will move to Alaskan Way and begin using this two-way transit pathway on Columbia St to access Ave.