Green Lake and Wallingford Paving & Multi-Modal Improvements

Updated: November 28, 2018

What’s happening now?

Thanks to all those who continue to engage with us about streetscape improvements coming to your neighborhoods!

Earlier this month, we shared with you news that we’re re-examining east-west bike connections planned for N 40th St in Wallingford and that we’re redesigning the planned bike lanes on Green Lake Way N to avoid adding a new signal at N 52nd St. We made these changes based on the design feedback we heard from you!

What we heard

In July, we had more than 670 people join us at drop-in sessions and visit our online open house to learn more about streetscape improvements and offer feedback on the design and construction planning. We heard support for our general safety and mobility goals, and suggestions for changes. We’ve summarized everything we heard and our response to this feedback – read our public feedback and updates on project design document for more!

Here are a few key project design changes we’re incorporating or exploring based on what we heard from you:

  • Improving safety for people walking on N 40th St – We’re adding rapid flashing beacons and repairing some stretches of sidewalk on 40th.
  • Reviewing east-west bike connections in Wallingford – We’re taking a step back to reconsider the design for bike improvements on N 40th St given concerns we heard from nearby neighbors and businesses, as well as people who bike through the area. In the coming months, we’ll evaluate other potential improvements to east-west bike connections in Wallingford and provide an opportunity for public comment in early 2019.
  • Evaluating options for people walking and biking through the N 50th St, Stone Way N, and E Green Lake Way N intersection - We’re currently looking at ways to make improvements at this intersection by clearly marking crossings and improving visibility and sightlines.
  • Partnering with Seattle Parks and Recreation to explore an alternative to the planned bike improvements on Green Lake Way N – Our original design included a new signal on Green Lake Way N at N 52nd St, but we heard community concerns that the new signal would cause back-ups for people driving and be inconvenient for people biking. In response, we’re partnering with Seattle Parks and Recreation to explore transforming a portion of the planting strip bordering the Lower Woodland Parks Playfield parking lot into a 1-way protected bike lane. Under this design, people biking would transition from the 2-way to the 1-way protected bike lanes at the intersection of W Green Lake Way N and E Green Lake Way N, where a new signal is already planned. This solution eliminates the need for a new signal at 52nd, provides a smoother transition for people biking, and reduces the number of on-street parking spaces removed in the area.
  • Making the NE Ravenna Blvd, NE 71st St and E Green Lake Way N intersection more predictable – We’re squaring up this intersection as much as possible by adding curb bulbs and widening the west side sidewalk. We’re also adding a rapid flashing beacon one block south of the intersection to improve safety for people crossing.
  • Improving safety and visibility at intersections - We’re adding “no parking” signs 20 feet from all intersections in the project area. On the north side of N 80th St on either side of the Ashworth Ave N intersection, we’ll add paint and post curb bulbs to improve visibility at this intersection with particularly limited visibility.
  • Reducing speed limits to improve traffic safety for all – We’ll post a 25 MPH speed limit around the east side of Green Lake, which is a reduction from the current 30 MPH speed limit.

People also provided feedback on construction, with the majority of respondents preferring that the work be completed as quickly as possible, but with heavier impacts. They highlighted a desire to have daytime only construction and maintain access to homes and businesses throughout construction.

What comes next

We’ll continue to conduct additional outreach this fall as we finalize the design and next year as we prepare for construction. We anticipate completing the design by the end of 2018, beginning construction in late spring of 2019, and completing the project in 2020. For more information, please visit our project webpage.

Sign up for project email updates to stay involved as we move through our design process and into construction preparation.

Read our Frequently Asked Questions document for our answers to commonly asked questions about the project.

Project Overview

Green Lake Paving Project

As soon as late spring of 2019, we’ll repave and update lane layouts in the Green Lake and Wallingford communities to create safer places for everyone — whether you're walking, biking, driving, or taking transit. Paving projects create opportunities to update street design, which can improve safety and move people and goods more efficiently in a growing Seattle.

We’ll be making improvements to the following streets:

  • N 40th St: Stone Way to Latona Ave NE
  • N 50th St: Phinney Ave to Roosevelt Way
  • Green Lake Loop: Green Lake Dr and Green Lake Way along the east side of the lake, Stone Way to 45th
  • N 80th St: Aurora Ave to I-5

On many streets, we’ve developed new lane layouts and redesigned intersections. New street elements will include:

  • More than 6 miles of repaved streets
  • More than 500 new or upgraded curb ramps to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines
  • Nearly 4 miles of new, enhanced, or upgraded bike lanes, including:
    • Protected bike lanes along Green Lake Dr and Green Lake Way on the east side of the lake, continuing on Stone Way to 46th
    • East-west bike improvements in Wallingford (exact location TBD)
    • Enhanced bike lanes on N 50th west of Stone Way N
  • Improvements at many intersections, including new signals at select locations
  • Sidewalk repair and replacement in select locations
  • Bus stop relocations and consolidations for better transit speed and reliability

Below is an overview of the changes being made along specific segments of the full project area.

N 40th St: Stone Way to Latona Ave NE

  • More than 100 upgraded or new curb ramps
  • Sidewalk repair near bus shelters, near people's homes, and at key intersections
  • Rapid flashing beacons at Bagley Ave N and 2nd Ave NE to improve visibility for people walking
  • Reviewing potential improvements to east-west connections for people who bike in the Wallingford area (exact location TBD)
  • Maintenance of street trees, except wherever necessary for sidewalk repair

N 50th St: Phinney Ave N to Roosevelt Way NE

  • Wider bike lanes between Phinney Ave N and Stone Way N to improve comfort and safety for people biking
  • Clearer striping of the bike lanes to clearly separate people driving and biking, as well as parked cars
  • Keeping on-street parking
  • More than 170 upgraded or new curb ramps
  • Adding rapid flashing beacons at the intersections of N 50th St with Dayton Ave N and Woodland Park Ave N to improve safety and visibility for people walking
  • Improvements to the N 50th St, Stone Way N, and E Green Lake Way N intersection that fall within the project's scope and budget

Green Lake Loop

  • Building a 2-way protected bike lane around the Lake, which will transition to 1-way bike lanes at the intersection of W Green Lake Way N and E Green Lake Way N (near the Pitch and Putt) and extend to N 46th St
  • Improving the intersection of W Green Lake Way N and E Green Lake Way N (near the Pitch and Putt), which includes adding a new signal that will improve wait times by over 2.5 minutes
  • Making the intersection of NE Ravenna Blvd, NE 71st St, and E Green Lake Way N more predictable. We'll "square up" the intersection as much as possible by adding curb bulbs and widening the west-side sidewalks. We're also adding a rapid flashing beacon one block south of the intersection to improve safety for people crossing
  • Parking removal on the east side of Stone Way N between N 45th St and N 50th St, as well as at key intersections around the lake to accommodate new lane layouts
  • More than 180 upgraded or new curb ramps

Stone Way N: N 45th St to N 50th St

  • 1-way protected bike lanes on each side of the street
  • Parking removal on the east side of Stone Way N between N 46th St and N 50th St
  • Some spot on-street parking removal on the west side of Stone Way near driveways to ensure visibility and sightlines
  • More than 30 upgraded or new curb ramps

N 80th St: Aurora Ave N to I-5

  • No changes to lane layouts
  • Adding paint and post curb bulbs on the north side of 80th on either side of the Ashworth Ave N intersection to improve safety and visibility
  • Repaving nearly a mile of 80th, including replacing or repairing broken concrete panels and repaving asphalt in specific areas
  • More than 70 upgraded or new curb ramps

Program Description

Avalon Bike Lane

Arterial streets are primary routes for moving people and goods through the city and connecting neighborhoods and business districts to one another and the regional transportation network.

Each year, we pave arterial streets in poor condition to make them safer, smoother, and to extend their useful life. Keeping our transportation system in a state of good repair helps lower the cost of future maintenance.

We prioritize paving based on pavement condition, traffic volume, geographic equity, cost, and opportunities for grants or coordination with other projects in the area.

Schedule

Late spring 2019: Construction begins

2020: Anticipated completion

Funding

These projects are funded by the 9-year Levy to Move Seattle, approved by voters in 2015. 

Materials

Related Projects

In addition, we'll be folding in several other projects that were selected through SDOT’s Neighborhood Street Fund and Your Voice, Your Choice programs, which provide funding for local projects deemed a priority by communities. These projects include intersection redesigns at multiple locations, such as the addition of curb bulbs and curb ramps at the intersection of Densmore Ave N, Ashworth Ave N, and N 40th St, and curb bulbs, curb ramps, and a new crosswalk at N 40th St and Bagley Ave N. Other related projects:

Need a translation?

The City of Seattle is paving portions of N 40th St, N 50th St, N 80th St and streets on the east side of Green Lake as soon as 2019. To request translation of these materials, call 206-693-4151.

La Ciudad de Seattle pavimentará porciones de las calles N 40th St, N 50th St, N 80th St y calles en el lado este de Green Lake a más tardar para el 2019. Para solicitar la traducción de este material, llame al 206-693-4151.

西雅图市政府最快将于2019年铺设以下的部分路面：N 40th St, N 50th St, N 80th St以及 Green Lake 东边的街道。如 需這些資料的譯文，或是在會議時需要口譯服務，請 致電 206-693-4151。