30 Ave NE Paving & Bus Improvements

Updated March 4, 2025

What's Happening Now?

We’re making improvements on 30th Ave NE from NE 125th St to Lake City Way NE to support the new Metro Route 77 and create walking, rolling, and biking connections. See below to learn about the project and upcoming improvements.

Project Overview

A map showing the projects limits on 30th Ave NE from NE 125th St to Lake City Way NE

King County Metro is adding a new bus route to help people get to Sound Transit’s future Pinehurst Station (formerly the NE 130th St Infill Station). The new Route 77 will connect people in the Haller Lake, Pinehurst, Victory Heights, Olympic Hills, Jackson Park, and Lake City neighborhoods to the station and help them get around their neighborhoods.  

To prepare for this new bus service, we are making improvements on 30th Ave NE between NE 125th St and Lake City Way NE. The following improvements will make it safer and easier for people to walk, bike, roll, and take the bus:

  • Repaving the street to address poor pavement conditions and ensure it can support bus weights
  • New sidewalk on the east side of 30th Ave NE with a planting strip and street trees
  • New bus stops for westbound and eastbound buses near the intersection of 30th Ave NE and Lake City Way NE
  • New ADA-accessible curb ramps
  • Upgraded crossings for people walking and rolling at the intersections of NE 125th St and Lake City Way NE
  • Drainage improvements

To support bus movements, we need to remove the existing street parking on the west side of the street. We will install new loading zones and parallel street parking on the east side of the street adjacent to the new sidewalk.

Project Design

A map showing the new sidewalk on the east side of 30th Ave NE with parallel parking adjacent, parking removal on the west side of 30th Ave NE, and paving on 30th Ave NE from NE 125th St to Lake City Way NE

Project Background

King County Metro (Metro) developed the future Route 77 as part of the Lynnwood Link Connections plan. Through 3 phases of community engagement, Metro identified the need for a new route that would serve Lake City Way NE and connect the heart of Lake City to Sound Transit’s future Pinehurst Station (formerly the NE 130th St Infill Station).  

SDOT worked with Metro to evaluate 4 potential options to connect Route 77 between NE 125th St and Lake City Way NE. Our evaluation included a pavement quality review, assessment of available unimproved right of way space (shoulder) to install walking and rolling facilities, and a review of street types to ensure the proposed options could support bus routing.

The following options were reviewed by SDOT and Metro:

Option 1: This option uses NE 127th St and 30th Ave NE to make the connection between NE 125th St and Lake City Way NE. Westbound buses would turn left onto NE 127th St from Lake City Way NE then turn left onto 30th Ave NE before turning right onto westbound NE 125th St. Eastbound buses would follow the same route in reverse. This option was not selected because it would increase bus travel time and requires reconstructing a larger section of the street. 

A map showing the routing options

Option 2 (selected option): This option uses 30th Ave NE to make a direct connection between NE 125th St and Lake City Way NE. This option was chosen because it supports bus travel times with a more direct connection and requires less paving work. It also creates an opportunity to build a sidewalk on the east side of 30th Ave NE between NE 125th St and Lake City Way NE.

A map showing the routing options

Option 3: This option makes a direct westbound connection between Lake City Way NE and NE 125th St. It was not selected because it would require a full redesign of the NE 125th St and Lake City Way NE intersection. To support westbound bus movements between Lake City Way NE and NE 125th St, we would need to remove sections of the existing planted median on Lake City Way to create a left turn lane. For eastbound buses, we would need to route buses onto 30th Ave NE because there is not enough room for buses to turn directly onto Lake City Way NE without a major redesign of the intersection. 

A map showing the routing options

Option 4: This option makes the same westbound connection to NE 125th St as Option 3 but uses the curbside lane and a transit-only left turn signal. Westbound buses would get a turn arrow to turn in front of northbound traffic. For eastbound buses, we would need to route buses onto 30th Ave NE because there is not enough room for buses to turn directly onto Lake City Way NE without a major redesign of the intersection. In addition to the issues noted for Option 3, this option also presented safety concerns for buses turning in front of northbound traffic.

A map showing the routing options

Schedule

A graphic showing the project lifecycle of planning, design, and construction with an arrow pointing to the 60% design stage

Design (in progress): We started outreach on our project design in late 2024 and will share project details, answer questions, and take feedback through mid-2025.

Construction: We expect to start construction in fall 2025 and finish by spring 2026. Before construction starts, we will work with the community to understand their needs during construction and share the construction schedule.

Funding

This project is funded by the Seattle Transit Measure and King County Metro.

Project Materials

We'll post project materials such as factsheets here when they are available.

Nearby projects

Transportation

Adiam Emery, Interim Director
Address: 700 5th Ave, Suite 3800, Seattle, WA, 98104
Mailing Address: PO Box 34996, Seattle, WA, 98124-4996
Phone: (206) 684-7623
684-Road@seattle.gov

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The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is on a mission to deliver a transportation system that provides safe and affordable access to places and opportunities for everyone as we work to achieve our vision of Seattle as a thriving, equitable community powered by dependable transportation.