Seattle Transportation Plan - 3 Year Implementation Outlook

As stewards of public assets and taxpayer dollars, we’ll keep focusing on extending the life of our transportation system and delivering lasting value through both daily maintenance and major projects, with safety as a top priority.  

• Implement our Vision Zero Action Plan using data and proven solutions to redesign streets, encourage safer driving behaviors, and make it safer to walk, roll, and bike where it’s most needed.
• Cultivate Equitable Climate Solutions by creating low-pollutions neighborhoods, adding more electric vehicle chargers, and planting trees to improve community health and help safeguard the city during heatwaves, floods, and storms.
• Deliver the 2024 Seattle Transportation Levy with new investments planned alongside proactive maintenance to help us save money while keeping the system safe and reliable. 

Effective teamwork is the backbone of safety and preparedness when it comes to managing our transportation system, whether during rush hour, big construction projects, or major events. 

• Keep the City Moving 24/7 by adjusting signals, working with partners, and using smart planning and technology to reduce delays and prepare for future growth.
• Prepare for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup™ by teaming up with other agencies to improve transit, create pedestrian zones, upgrade infrastructure, and boost emergency readiness while making fan zones welcoming and accessible.
• Minimize Revive I-5 disruptions and support travel alternatives by working with WSDOT to keep the public informed, coordinate construction activities, optimize local signal timing and support reliable transit alternatives.  

We’re investing in key streets and infrastructure to expand transportation options, improve safety, and support climate goals, all in line with our STP vision to build a connected network that serves everyone. Projects with transformative impacts include:  

• Aurora Avenue North, one of Seattle’s busiest and most vital arterial streets, we’re planning to improve safety, access, and transit reliability by adding better lighting and crossings, making transit more reliable, addressing major drainage needs, and considering unique needs of freight and goods movement, while focusing on underserved communities. 
• Sound Transit 3, a voter-approved plan to grow the region’s high-capacity transit system that we’ll support by working together on station area access planning, streamlining permitting, engaging communities, and planning to manage construction impacts, and protect local trees and vegetation. 

• Expand Vision Zero projects to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries by redesigning high-crash streets and encouraging safer driving behaviors
• Update the Vision Zero Action Plan
• Use a Safe System Approach—safer streets, speeds, vehicles, and post-crash care—to prevent severe collisions
• Focus investments where crashes are most common or at higher risk of happening
• Expand traffic calming, redesigned intersections, and protected bike lanes citywide
• Safe routes to schools, parks, and transit with crossings and sidewalks
• Coordinate emergency response and maintenance to keep streets safe and reliable 

• Launch the Neighborhood Initiated Safety Partnership Projects program  
• Conduct the Safe Access to Transportation research project
• Reduce cost barriers by expanding free and reduced-fare transportation programs  
• Advance the Transportation Equity Framework (TEF), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Transition Plan, and youth mentorship pilot program
• Promote diverse hiring and contracting, including through the Women & Minority Business Enterprise program
• Strengthen Tribal, native and indigenous partnerships, honoring local heritage through inclusive placemaking (e.g., Vi taqʷšəblu Hilbert Commons)
• Work with local industry partners to enhance representation for people working in Seattle’s manufacturing and industrial areas 

• Update Seattle’s Climate Action Plan and help advance the Mayor’s Climate Executive Orders
• Track progress through new climate and emissions monitoring every two years
• Make walking, biking, and transit more convenient and appealing
• Expand electric vehicle charging, especially in underserved areas, and support e-cargo bike deliveries
• Grow Transportation Demand Management (TDM) programs like Flip Your Trip to encourage cleaner travel
• Support greener streets with more trees and landscaping to reduce heat and improve air quality
• Coordinate climate-resilient transportation planning for events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup 

• Improve freight routes and reduce rail crossing conflicts to support jobs and goods movement
• Modernize curb management with data tools to balance deliveries, pickups, and parking
• Expand Seamless Seattle Pedestrian Wayfinding program  
• Expand transit access and reliability with new infrastructure and coordination with Sound Transit 3
• Support small businesses and neighborhood access through the Community Access & Parking Program
• Optimize traffic signals and travel coordination during major projects and events
• Partner regionally to explore future-oriented fees and pricing strategies that reduce congestion 

• Reimagine streets as people-first spaces for play, gathering, and community life
• Create mobility hubs and pedestrian-friendly corridors that connect transit, bikes, and local destinations
• Activate public plazas and spaces through co-creation, community support, and permitting to support safety
• Ensure streets and parks are welcoming, age-friendly, and safe for everyone
• Integrate arts, culture, and local identity into neighborhood street designs

• Deliver the 2024 Seattle Transportation Levy  
• Use data-driven asset management to guide investments and track progress
• Repair and upgrade streets, sidewalks, signals, bridges, stairs and more
• Emphasize proactive maintenance to save costs and extend system life
• Keep the system running smoothly through round-the-clock operations, including SDOT’s Response Team and traffic control center
• Modernize infrastructure for future technologies like electric and autonomous vehicles
• Maintain and refresh street markings, signs, and street trees for safety and reliability