MLK Protected Bike Lane
Updated: January 21, 2020
Creating a new bike connection and a safer street
What’s happening now?
We're planning to build a protected bike lane on MLK between the Judkins Park and Mt Baker light rail stations (S Judkins St to Rainier Ave S). We're currently in the "planning" phase where we're collecting data about the street on collision patterns, lane widths, driveways, etc. We expect to develop an early design concept in spring 2020 and plan to build the protected bike lane by the Judkins Park light rail station opening in 2023.
This will be an important connection to both light rail stations as well as the I-90 Trail, Franklin High School, and the Metro Transit Center.
Project Overview
As part of the latest Bike Master Plan Implementation Plan, Martin Luther King Jr Way S was identified as an important Southeast Seattle bike connection. We're first focusing on the section between the Judkins Park and Mt Baker light rail stations (S Judkins St to Rainier Ave S). That section is in the "planning" phase where we're collecting data about the street on collision patterns, lane widths, driveways, etc. We expect to develop an ealy design concept in spring 2020 and plan to build the protected bike lane in 2023.
Benefits
- Connect people to transit and schools: This will be an important connection to both light rail stations as well as the I-90 trail, Franklin High School, and the Metro Transit Center. The I-90 trail is a regional connection that will improve access to downtown and the region's growing trail network from Southeast Seattle.
- Improve safety for people who walk, bike, and drive on MLK: This section of MLK Way has high rates of speeding, head-on collisions, and off-the-road collisions compared to other parts of the city. Redesigning the street will help to reduce speeding and make the street safer, more predictable, and more comfortable for everyone.
What about the rest of Martin Luther King Jr Way S?
We're also studying the feasibility of a protected bike lane on MLK between Rainier Ave S and S Henderson St.
Project area
We're first focusing on the section of Martin Luther King Jr Way S between the Judkins Park and Mt Baker light rail stations (S Judkins St to Rainier Ave S).
Community Outreach
We want this design to work for not just people who bike, but people who live and work in the area. SDOT is partnering with the Department of Neighborhoods to engage neighbors. Please feel free to get in touch with us to ask questions or set up a meeting: MLKWay@Seattle.gov or 206-727-8697.
This project is just getting started, but this table shows the outreach plan so far.
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| Summer 2019 | MLK was identified as an important Southeast Seattle bike connection as part of the latest Bike Master Plan Implementation Plan |
| Early 2020 | Door-to-door and individual meetings with project neighbors and interested stakeholders |
| Spring 2020 | Drop-in session and other outreach to engage neighbors in the early design |
| Ongoing | Email and web updates |
Related Projects
We're coordinating closely with other projects in the area including:
- Route 7 Transit-Plus Multimodal Corridor and Metro RapidRide
- Accessible Mt Baker
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