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Seattle accelerates road construction, maintenance;
City boosts transit, bike and pedestrian improvements
"I want to thank residents for their patience during road construction. Our aggressive schedule demonstrates our commitment to get Seattle moving now."
-- Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels |
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When Seattle voters approved “Bridging the Gap,” they set in motion an aggressive program to fix streets, sidewalks and bridges – building a transportation system that will help achieve one of Mayor Greg Nickels’ priorities to “get Seattle moving.”
Prior to Mayor Nickels’ tenure, the city faced a 20-year maintenance backlog of road repairs and upkeep. To address the backlog, the Mayor proposed the “Bridging the Gap” program and in 2006, voters passed the $365 million levy, enabling the Seattle Department of Transportation to complete much-needed maintenance and safety work.
“Thanks to Bridging the Gap, the City of Seattle is turning the corner on a generation of under investment in our transportation system due to dwindling federal and state support,” Nickels said.
 The 2008 road paving season was Seattle's busiest in at least a decade. The city paved 41 lane-miles, making $24.3 million in improvements to the Denny-Western-Elliott-15th Avenue corridor, Fifth Avenue through the heart of the business district, the Boren-Madison corridor and First Avenue South in south downtown.
Mayor Nickels also announced that in 2009, Seattle residents will see work on First Avenue South, Second and Fourth Avenues through Belltown, Stewart Street and Fauntleroy Way in West Seattle.
As part of the Bridging the Gap program, the city prioritized key routes to and through downtown, making improvements that will be critically important to transit, freight and cars during upcoming work on the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Already, more than 68 lane-miles have been paved since Bridging the Gap efforts began in 2007.
 The department upgraded curb ramps, replaced sidewalks at intersections, installed bike detection loops that ensure signals react to bikes as they do to automobiles, installed bicycle-friendly drainage grates, and striped new bike and pedestrian pavement markings.
In addition to Bridging the Gap, a commercial parking tax and an employee-hours tax are expected to yield a supplementary $179 million throughout the nine years for transportation projects. Bridging the Gap goals include:
- Reducing the infrastructure maintenance backlog.
- Paving and repairing Seattle streets.
- Making seismic upgrades on our most vulnerable bridges.
- Improving pedestrian and bicycle safety and creating safe routes to schools.
- Increasing transit speed and reliability.
“Bridging the Gap is a vital component in strengthening our community and neighborhoods, ensuring efficient and safe movement for residents, businesses, first responders and visitors,” Nickels said.
Bridging the Gap is not just about maintaining an efficient and convenient transportation system for motorists. In an effort to provide accessible and secure alternatives to single-occupancy vehicles, the city is increasing bike trails and lanes, pedestrian pathways and transit options. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plans, the Safe Routes to School program, enhanced transit connections and large Neighborhood Street Fund projects all receive funding by Bridging the Gap.
“We’re helping people fight global warming by making it easier and safer to get around by bike, foot or bus,” said Mayor Nickels.
Bridging the Gap pays for more bus routes
 Shorter waits and additional bus runs are now available to many area Seattle mass-transit customers.
The City of Seattle purchased 20,000 hours of new bus service for the first time ever. The supplementary bus routes, which began September 20, 2008, will increase bus services in several Seattle neighborhoods.
Mayor Greg Nickels praised the plan, noting that overall ridership has increased, due to rising fuel prices, traffic congestion and a desire among many to choose “greener” options.
“In this time of high gas prices and high bus ridership, the city of Seattle is helping deliver more bus service for Seattle riders through our ‘Bridging the Gap’ program,” said Mayor Greg Nickels. “These additional hours give residents and visitors more options for traveling around the city without a car.”
Buses will arrive every 15 minutes or less for many routes serving Ballard, Belltown, Capitol Hill, Fremont, Madison Park, Mount Baker, Queen Anne, the University District and Wallingford. Buses on Routes 3 and 4 between downtown Seattle, First Hill and the Central Area will arrive every eight minutes or less during weekday daytime hours.
The city will provide $1.5 million in annual funding for the transit improvements, supported by the voter-approved, nine-year “Bridging the Gap” transportation levy. An additional 25,000 bus hours will be added in 2009 and 2010. The new bus service, secured through a partnership between the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and King County Metro, will continue through the end of 2015.
Purchasing more bus service will contribute to the city’s goal of reliable transit on critical corridors connecting neighborhoods with active business centers. The added 20,000 hours per year of new service in Seattle will be the equivalent of five buses running twelve hours per day for 365 days a year.
Frequent, reliable transit service offers residents and visitors options other than driving and helps fight global warming. Approximately half of the service additions will improve electric trolley bus service, which results in virtually zero greenhouse gas emissions.
BTG Project Overview
 Within the nine years, the Seattle Department of Transportation will:
- Resurface, restore, or replace approximately 200 lane-miles of arterial streets.
- Rehabilitate or replace 3-5 bridges and seismically retrofit 5 additional bridges.
- Repair or restore 144 blocks of sidewalks.
- Build 117 blocks of new sidewalks.
- Rehabilitate 40-50 stairways.
- Restripe 5,000 crosswalks.
- Create "safe routes to schools" near 30 elementary schools.
- Support the development and implementation of a Pedestrian Master Plan.
- Provide funding to implement the Bicycle Master Plan.
- Add 4 miles of new multi-use paths.
- Replace more than 150,000 small, faded street and regulatory signs.
- Provide funding for neighborhood-identified street improvements.
- Secure up to 45,000 hours of new Metro Transit service.
- Enhance transit and safety improvements on 3 key transit corridors.
- Prune 25,000 street trees to prevent safety and security hazards.
- Plant 8,000 new street trees.
- Fund 3 major capital improvement projects: Spokane Street Viaduct, Mercer Street Corridor and King Street Station.
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