RapidRide J Line - Formerly RapidRide Roosevelt

Connecting Downtown Seattle with the neighborhoods of Belltown, South Lake Union, Eastlake, and the University District. Upgrading Route 70 to RapidRide with enhanced bus speed, reliability and stations, paving, installing protected bike lanes, and improving accessibility. 

Updated: December 21, 2022

Purpose and Need

The overall purpose of the RapidRide J Line project is to improve transit travel times, reliability, and capacity to increase high-frequency, all-day transit service and enhance transit connections between Downtown Seattle and the Belltown, South Lake Union, Eastlake and University District neighborhoods, in order to: 

• Address current and future mobility needs for residents, workers, and students
• Address capacity constraints in the transportation network along this north-south corridor
• Provide equitable transportation access to major institutions, employers, and neighborhoods

An additional purpose of the project is to improve pedestrian and bicycle connections and access to RapidRide stations and improve safety along the corridor. The J Line route has been identified as a high-priority corridor for meeting the following transportation and community needs: 

• Provide transit service to support housing and employment growth.
• Provide neighborhood connections to future Link light rail stations. 
• Improve transit travel time and reliability throughout the corridor. 
• Reduce overcrowding of existing bus capacity. 
• Improve pedestrian and bicycle safety and connections to transit.

We're partnering with King County Metro (KCM) to enhance transit connections and upgrade existing bus routes to Metro RapidRide service. 

Why RapidRide J Line? 

The existing bus service cannot support current population and ridership demand growth. During peak hours before the COVID-19 pandemic, 30% of trips were late and 63% were overcrowded.

RapidRide J Line addresses these issues with: 

• Frequent and reliable service, all day, every day 
• Buses every 7.5 minutes or sooner during peak periods 
• 24-hour service, 7 days a week 
• Bus-only lanes and traffic priority signals help keep buses moving 
• All-door boarding lets riders get on the bus faster

Safer and more comfortable 

• Improved pedestrian and bicycle safety and connections to transit with protected bike lanes on Fairview Ave E, Eastlake Ave E, and 11th Ave NE 
• Easy access for riders with mobility aids 
• New well-lit bus stations with real-time arrival information 

More connections 

• Better connections to Link light rail, other RapidRide lines, and Seattle Streetcar simplifies transfers and makes it easier to reach more places. 

Frequent and more reliable transit 

Have you ever waited for a bus only to have 2 show up back-to-back 20 minutes late? This is called bus bunching, and in addition to making you late, it often discourages people from riding transit. RapidRide J Line's planned transit improvements, including stop optimization, will help reduce occurrences of bus bunching and make transit a more attractive option. 

These improvements include 5 queue jumps: bus-only lanes at intersections that allow buses to bypass traffic at stoplights. This helps your bus run smoothly, reliably, and on time. 

What is a queue jump? 

Queue Jump

Project Map

Corridor Map

Protected bike lanes enhance safety and traffic flow

The protected bike lane on Eastlake Ave E will reduce interactions between bikes, cars, and buses on the corridor, providing improved safety and predictability for all users, and will help keep transit moving to improve travel time for people riding buses.

Why protected bike lanes are planned for the project

Along with improving transit service, the RapidRide J Line project is designed to improve safety conditions and access to transit for people biking and walking along the corridor. 

• While people walking and biking make up only 6.3% of all crashes in Seattle, they represent a much larger percentage of serious (47.4%) and fatal (39.7%) crashes.
• Between 2012 and 2017, there were 39 reported collisions involving bicyclists in Eastlake along Eastlake Ave E, with most of them resulting in injury.
• Currently, about 1,700 people bike per day cross the University Bridge, which is the second highest in the city in terms of bicycle volume.

SDOT Evaluated 9 Routes in the Eastlake Bike Facility Evaluation

In response to community concerns from the impacts of the protected bike lane along Eastlake Ave E we reviewed other bike facility and route options for the project. Of the multiple options reviewed for the Eastlake community, the one-way protected bike lanes on Eastlake Ave E best meets the evaluation criteria and provide the highest-quality bike facility in Eastlake because:

• Fewest potential conflicts at intersections and driveways
• Most straightforward and intuitive route - Other routes require several turns off Eastlake Ave E so people riding bikes may be confused or choose to continue on Eastlake, slowing transit speeds
• Access to all 8 RapidRide stops and TOPS K-8 school
• Maintains the turn lane and planted median on Eastlake Ave E

Curbspace and access strategies

Because the RapidRide J Line project requires the removal of parking to ensure transit travel time speeds and improve safety for all users, SDOT has worked with the community to understand access needs to neighborhoods in the project area.

These include:

Loading zone relocation and curbspace updates
SDOT is continuing to work with community members to understand their loading needs and determine where current loading zones may best be relocated where feasible. 

Shared parking facilities
As a business, is your parking garage gathering dust at night? As a resident, is your parking spot sitting empty while you're at work? Does your neighbor have an empty parking space?   

Apps like Spot Hero, Curb Flip, BestParking, and ParkMe make it easy to make money without sacrificing the convenience of your parking spot. If you're interested in learning more, email RapidRide@seattle.gov.

Restricted Parking Zone (RPZ) 8 updates
SDOT is beginning to review RPZ 8 in Eastlake to determine if it may be updated to better reflect current community needs. 

If you're interested in learning more and/or helping define the potential updates to Restricted Parking Zone (RPZ) 8, email RapidRide@seattle.gov. 

Schedule

1. Planning (2014-2017): We collected traffic data, reviewed plans, and gathered community experiences to define options.
2. Design (2017-2023): We are collaborating with the community, working to secure regulatory approval (e.g., Environmental Assessment), and developing a more detailed final design. 
3. Construction (as soon as 2023): We will construct the project and keep the community informed on the latest construction updates, schedule, and expected impacts. 

Funding

RapidRide J Line is partially funded by the 9-year Levy to Move Seattle, approved by voters in 2015. Additional funding is being sought through a Federal Transit Administration Small Starts Grant.

How can I get involved?

We're always interested in meeting with community and neighborhood groups that want to learn more about the project and make their voices heard. You can request a briefing by emailing RapidRide@seattle.gov or calling (206) 257-2202.