12th Ave NE and NE 43rd St Paving Project

Updated February 8, 2022

We have wrapped up our work for the 12th Ave NE & NE 43rd St Paving Project! Thank you for your continued patience and support while we completed our work.

^{Image: New paving and bike lanes on NE 43rd St.}

We helped get the roadway ready for bus re-routes at NE 43rd St and Brooklyn Ave NE for the new U District Light Rail Station that opened  October 2, 2021. 

King County Metro has continued working on Metro trolley poles and wires in this project area.  Metro crews have begun installation of trolley wires on NE 43^rd St.  Work will progress from the intersection of NE 43^rd St and 15^th Ave NE to the west and is being performed primarily on weekends with occasional weekday work.  The trolley wire installation is planned to be complete in time for Metro's March service change. If you have questions or concerns regarding trolley pole and wire installation impacts, please reach out to King County Metro at (206) 477-0505.

Completed project elements included:

• Repaved NE 43rd St and 12th Ave NE
• Replaced and added new sections of sidewalks and curb ramps
• Added new protected bike lanes on NE 43rd St, Brooklyn Ave NE, and NE 47th St
• Installed new King County Metro poles and wires for trolley buses
• Added a northbound King County Metro bus layover on the east side of 12th Ave NE You may see crews on site wrapping final project elements. 

Pedestrian Improvements at the Roosevelt Link Light Rail Station

In addition to the work at 12^th Ave NE and NE 43^rd St, pedestrian improvements in front of the new Roosevelt Link Light Rail Station on 12^th Ave NE between NE 66^th St and NE 67^th St are being added to the scope of this project. The sidewalk on the east side of 12^th Ave NE will be widened for the length of the bus zone a new pedestrian signalized crossing will be added at the intersection of NE 67^th St and 12^th Ave NE. These improvements started September 2021, and will be completed prior to the opening of the Roosevelt Station in October 2021. 

Click the video below to watch a recorded presentation on what improvements you'll see following the completion of this project. 

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Project Overview

The project area, along NE 43rd St from Brooklyn Ave NE to 11^th Ave NE, and along 12th Ave NE from NE 43rd St to NE 45^th St, is in the University District, near the new U District Light Rail Station currently under construction. With the new Link Light Rail station at NE 43rd St and Brooklyn Ave NE set to open in fall 2021, assessments of the roadway were completed and noted that the pavement structure along NE 43rd St and 12^th Ave NE would not be able to support the planned re-routes and increases in bus volumes. The 12th Ave NE and NE 43rd St Paving Project will reconstruct the roadway with full-depth concrete pavement to support new bus travel in the area. The project will reach completion in the fall of 2021 to coincide with the opening of the U District Light Rail station and the start of the Metro-led North Link Connections Mobility Project bus route restructure.  
 

Project Area

The project area, along NE 43rd St from Brooklyn Ave NE to 11^th Ave NE, and along 12th Ave NE from NE 43rd St to NE 45th St, is in University District, near the new U District Light Rail Station currently under construction.

12th Ave NE and NE 43rd St Paving Project area outlined in purple

Project Elements

This project will include the following improvements:

Repaving

• 12th Ave NE
  • Half street full depth concrete paving on the east side of the street between NE 43^rd St and NE 45^th St, mill and overlay on the west side of the street 
• NE 43rd St
  • Half street full depth concrete paving on north side of street between Brooklyn Ave NE and 12^th Ave NE, mill and overlay on south side of the street

Transit

• Add northbound bus layover on east side of 12th Ave NE 
• Coordination with King County Metro to construct trolley infrastructure for trolley routes

Sidewalk and Ramp Construction

• Curb ramps within the project area that are not ADA compliant will be replaced
• Some sidewalks on 12^th Ave NE and the north side of NE 43^rd St will be replaced
• Sidewalks on south side of NE 43^rd St will not be replaced

Bike Lanes

• NE 43rd St: One-way protected bike lanes on each side of the street will be added from Brooklyn Ave NE to 11^th Ave NE. Due to limited roadway width, parking will be removed and loading zones will be relocated to accommodate this additional mode of travel.
• Brooklyn Ave NE: Northbound protected bike lane will be added to the east side of the street from NE 45^th St to NE 47^th St.  Southbound bikes will share the road with vehicles. Parking/loading will be removed on the east side of the street and maintained on the west side. 
• NE 47^th St: Protected bike lanes will be added on both sides of the street from Brooklyn to 12^th Ave NE.  As a result, parking/loading will be removed on both sides of the street.  
  
  

Signals and Operations

• 12th Ave NE and NE 45th St: No changes to existing signal operations
• 12th Ave NE and NE 43rd St: All way stop to remain 

Project Benefits

• Providing adequate roadway structure for the anticipated bus volumes that will be rerouted onto NE 43^rd St and 12^th Ave NE
• Expanding Metro trolley infrastructure and providing a layover area for routes serving the U District Light Rail Station
• Connecting the citywide bike network with new all ages and abilities bike lanes
• Extending the useful life of the roadway with paving
• Enhancing pedestrian safety with sidewalk and curb ramp upgrades
• Replacing old watermains

Other Nearby Projects

NE 43rd St Improvements Project

Route 44 Transit Plus Multimodal Corridor Project 

Sound Transit U District Link Light Rail Station

Metro's North Link Connections Mobility Project

RapidRide J Line (Roosevelt RapidRide Project)

Schedule

Materials

March 2021 mailer

July mailer

Funding

This project is funded by the Move Seattle Levy, which was approved by voters in 2015, and Seattle Public Utilities, King County Metro, and Mercer Megablock funds.