15th Ave NE Paving Project

Paving, protected bike lanes, sidewalk repair, crossing improvements, parking removal.

Updated: May 12, 2022

What's happening now?

Thank you for your interest in the 15th Ave NE Paving Project. Please feel free to share this information with your fellow neighbors and encourage them to sign up to receive updates using this link. 

The paving for this project has been completed! -With paving complete, we’re one step closer to making 15th Ave NE safer and more comfortable to travel on. Over the coming weeks, crews will be preparing to place the final striping and install protected bike lanes. This work will be completed in June when the weather is warm and dry enough to allow the new paint to dry. Learn more about what the finished project will include below! 

We appreciate your patience and understanding as crews work towards completing the project. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our outreach team by emailing 15thNEpaving@seattle.gov, or via phone at (206) 775-8718. We are available to answer your questions and work with crews to address concerns.

The following construction activities will be taking place in the coming weeks:

  • Crews are working throughout the project area to repair curbs and sidewalks, install landscaping, and upgrade traffic signals
  • Crews will be striping the roadway as soon as mid-June. This work will occur at night to limit traffic and driveway impacts.  
    • Temporary driveway closures will be required during the striping and installation of bike lanes. We will provide notifications to impacted residents ahead of closures. trictions will be in place and traffic control will be directing vehicles and pedestrians 
    • Parking will be restricted throughout the project area leading up to and during striping. “No parking” signs will be placed 5 days prior to work starting, where needed.  
  • Sidewalk repairs in the alley between NE 76th St and NE 73rd St and along 15th Ave NE between NE 73rd and NE 70th St 
  • Curb ramp pours at the intersections of 15th Ave NE and NE 80th St, NE 75th St, and NE 65th St
  • Electrical work at the intersections of 15th Ave NE and NE 80th St, NE 75th St, and NE 65th St 
  • Equipment and materials will be in place temporarily on NE 56th St between 15th Ave NE and the alleyway west of 16th Ave NE

What will 15th Ave NE look like once construction is complete?  

Once construction is complete, 15th Ave NE will include new pavement and striping, protected bike lanes, flashing beacons at key crossings, left-turn pockets at intersections, and more. See the project map below for more details. These improvements will make 15th Ave NE safer and more comfortable to travel on.  

100% Project Map

Paving Map

Changes to parking along 15th Ave NE are another component of the safety improvements. We are removing parking from one side of the street and introducing 24/7 parking to the remaining parking spaces along 15th Ave NE so people don’t need to move their cars daily. Visit our Restricted Parking Zone (RPZ) website to learn more about other parking options and RPZ permits. 

This project is part of our Vision Zero initiative to end traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030 and is funded by the Levy to Move Seattle, approved by Seattle voters in November 2015. You can learn more on our project website. 

Overview

15th Ave NE is a minor arterial serving northeast Seattle. Approximately 10,000 vehicles travel this street on an average day. This corridor connects the University District, Ravenna, and Maple Leaf neighborhoods, and is a major transit street, serving King County Metro routes 71, 73, and 373. This section of 15th Ave NE is home to houses, apartment buildings, businesses, and Roosevelt High School.

As part of our paving program, we'll pave approximately 1.3 miles of 15th Ave NE to make it safer and more comfortable to travel on, and to extend the useful life of the pavement.

A paving project, such as this one, provides opportunities to cost-effectively update street designs to promote safety, build features called for in citywide transportation plans, and coordinate with other projects. They also provide an opportunity for community engagement to ensure feedback is gathered and incorporated into the final design.

Community Engagement

This project is part of our Vision Zero initiative to end traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030. Traffic collisions are preventable through smarter street design, targeted enforcement, and thoughtful public engagement. Together, we can make Seattle’s streets safer for everyone. In the last 5 years, 15th Ave NE has had an above-average amount of injuries from collisions.

  • Vehicle volumes: 10,000/average day
  • Vehicle speed: 26.7 MPH (85th percentile speed)
  • Collisions: 143 in 5 years
  • Injuries: 48
  • Fatalities: 1
  • Peak hour parking restrictions: 7-9 AM (southbound) and 4-6 PM (northbound)

Since the summer of 2016, we've shared street design concepts with the community and asked how you get around your neighborhood. We sent mailers, offered an online survey, held an open house, dropped off materials, and visited businesses with door-to-door outreach.

We heard from hundreds of people about transportation safety and we appreciate everyone who took time to talk to us. Your feedback helped shape our design and here's what we heard from you:

  • Concerns about speeding
  • Desire to cross street more easily
  • Interest in using more transit and biking
  • Interest in maintaining parking
  • Discourage cut-through traffic
  • Desire for turn pockets and signals at key intersections
  • Preference for "protected" bike lanes

In addition to taking community feedback, we analyzed traffic and parking data and reviewed freight, transit, bike, and pedestrian master plan recommendations. All these factors informed our designs; therefore, we are adding various safety features to this project. New flashing beacons will be added to the crossings at Roosevelt High School. New protected bike lanes will be introduced, and new exclusive left-turn pockets and signals will improve safety for everyone.

Safety has informed the parking design too, and we are removing parking from one side of the street, while introducing 24/7 parking to the remaining parking spaces so people don’t need to move their cars daily. This project will also include other measures to improve safety and improve all transit options:

  • Sidewalk repair and curb ramp upgrades
  • Removal of peak-hour parking restrictions to make parking available 24/7 on 1 side of the street
  • New protected bike lanes
  • New exclusive left-turn pockets and signals
  • Stormwater drainage improvements
  • Parking removal on 1 side of the street
  • Safe Routes to School and neighborhood greenway crossing improvements at Roosevelt High School

Improvements at Roosevelt High School

Crews recently completed work to reverse the direction of NE 68th St and NE 66th St between 12th Ave NE and 15th Ave NE (see map below for more details). These improvements are the product of an ongoing partnership between SDOT, Roosevelt High School, and Seattle Public School System, as well as feedback from local residents and businesses.

Reversing the direction of traffic around Roosevelt High School will allow school buses to load and unload on the curb side of the street, improve access for students with disabilities, reduce bus/bike conflicts on 15th Ave NE, and improve traffic flow and safety. We appreciate the involvement, feedback, and partnerships that made these improvements a reality.

Map of changes around Roosevelt High School

100% Design Concepts

Design concept cross-sections

The cross sections above are conceptual and not to scale. Actual street widths will vary, and cross sections don't illustrate intersections.

Schedule

This is our anticipated project timeline for 15th Ave NE paving.

Fall, 2020
Construction began

Spring, 2022
Construction completion

Schedule

The Three Stages of a Project

  1. Planning
    What we do: Collect traffic data, review plans and gather community experiences to define options.

  2. Design
    What we do: Share updates as more details are known.

  3. Construction
    What we do: Provide construction schedules, expected impacts, and a contact for questions.

Funding

This project is part of SDOT's Arterial and Asphalt and Concrete (AAC) Paving Program. Design and construction of our paving projects, as well as the safety and mobility improvements shown, are funded by the Levy to Move Seattle, approved by Seattle voters in November 2015. We also seek additional funding through grants, when available. Learn more about the levy.

Project Materials

To view a PDF of project-related materials, please click on the links provided below.

Preconstruction Phase

Design Phase

Contact

We're committed to building a productive, inclusive, and collaborative relationship with all who live, work, or travel in the project area. Please contact us with any questions.

Phone: 206-775-8718
Email: 15thNEpaving@seattle.gov

Community Outreach Lead
Darrell Bulmer

Project Manager
Brian Glas

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Updated: 2/8/2018