King County Metro Transit is planning to add bus lanes on Rainier Ave S to better serve riders that rely on Route 7, with the agency noting ridership has remained high on this route throughout the pandemic.
Route 7 on Rainier Ave S is one of Seattle’s busiest bus routes, serving around 8,000 riders per day (11,200 riders per day before the pandemic). Many people who live in Rainier Valley depend on the Route 7 bus each day.
Throughout Seattle, many people rely on transit each day to get where they need to go and meet their basic needs. People continued to rely on transit throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Transit ridership remained high on several routes, including routes that serve neighborhoods with more people of color. These communities need convenient and reliable transit service as the city moves forward from the pandemic.
King County Metro says it has been building safety improvements on Rainier Ave S over the past several years as part of the Rainier Ave S Vision Zero project. The work to improve safety on Rainier Ave S is not done. The agency says it plans to continue coming back to this street to make more safety improvements in the future. Recently, King County Metro began building other safety and intersection improvements on Rainier Ave S. as part of the Route 7 Transit-Plus Multimodal Corridor project.
The upcoming bus-only lanes work along Rainier Ave S will occur in two phases, with construction of the first phase planned to occur July 8–10.
This summer, King County Metro will be in the community to share more information about the second phase of work and gather community feedback.
Project overview
Phase 1
In early July, the agency will begin construction to add a northbound bus-only lane on Rainier Ave S between S Alaska St and S Walden St. King County Metro will also add a southbound bus-only lane between S Oregon St and S Edmunds St. It will remove the curbside travel lane and turn it into a new bus-only lane, and it will maintain all existing on-street parking, the two-way center turn lane and freight access.
Construction is scheduled to occur July 8–10. This work is weather dependent and subject to change. The road will remain open during construction, and people can expect periodic lane closures. People can also expect temporary bus stop closures of the northbound bus stops on Rainier Ave S at the intersections of S Edmunds St, S Alaska St, S Genesee St, 33rd Ave S and S Walden St. These bus stops will be closed for a few hours at a time and relocated bus stops will be provided nearby. Watch for notices and temporary changes at your bus stop during construction.
Phase 2
King County Metro says it is studying a Phase 2 project that would extend the northbound bus-only lane from S Walden St to S Massachusetts St.
The agency will reach out to the community throughout this summer o share information about this project and hear feedback. The feedback will help inform Phase 2 project design. Project design will continue through 2023.
Expected project benefits of the bus-only lanes on Rainier Ave S:
- More reliable transit on Rainier Ave S, that comes when you are expecting it. This includes frequent bus routes with high ridership such as Routes 7, 48 and 106.
- Easier connections to the Mt Baker Light Rail Station and the McClellan St Metro Transit Station. There will also be easier connections to the new Judkins Park Light Rail Station opening in 2023.
- Saving two minutes of travel time during an average morning trip on the bus. Saving six minutes during morning travel times when conditions are more congested than usual.
- Saving more than one minute when traveling north between S Alaska St and S Walden St.
- In the future, the agency says it expects more transit travel time savings by extending the bus-only lane further north toward I-90. In this area, traffic volumes are higher and congestion is often greater.
- Shifting more trips to transit helps improve the efficiency of road space, benefiting everyone.
