N 130th St – Bitter Lake to Haller Lake Mobility Improvements

Updated November 27, 2024

What's Happening Now?

We have an early design for safety and mobility improvements on N 130th St between 1st Ave NW and I-5. These improvements will create connections to the future NE 130th St light rail station and make it easier to get around the neighborhood. You can learn more about our planned improvements below.

Check out our other projects to help people get to the NE 130th St light rail station and around the neighborhood.

Project overview

We are making safety and mobility improvements on N 130th St between 1st Ave NW and I-5 to connect people to the NE 130th St light rail station and help them get around the neighborhood. Sound Transit anticipates that 90% of light rail riders will get to the NE 130th St station by walking, rolling, biking, or taking transit and these improvements will create a better environment for all travelers. This project includes a new street design with protected bike lanes, sidewalk repairs, new accessible curb ramps, and new street trees. We are also supporting new bus service in the area with upgraded and relocated bus stops, a full street reconstruction for heavier bus and freight vehicles, and other bus priority features.

Project Goals

Create a safe and comfortable environment for people walking, biking, and rolling to the NE 130th St light rail station and around the neighborhood
Reduce serious injury and fatal crashes
Improve bus reliability, passenger experience, and pavement quality to support new bus service

Project Elements

New street design with protected bike lanes in each direction, a center turn lane, and one vehicle lane in each direction*
Street reconstruction to support heavier bus and freight vehicles and increased bus service in the area
New enhanced crossings for people walking, rolling, and biking with flashing beacons, median islands, and connections to future Neighborhood Greenways
Upgraded and relocated bus stops
Protected bike lanes at sidewalk level from Greenwood Ave N to 1st Ave NE, with bike signals in select locations (connects to the protected bike lanes east of 1st Ave NE installed by the NE 130th St & NE 125th St Mobility and Safety Project)
New and widened sidewalks with curbs and new accessible curb ramps
Planting strips with street trees
Drainage and stormwater improvements

* Street design varies in some locations to accommodate intersection operations and space constraints.

SDOT is coordinating with Sound Transit and King County Metro to make these improvements and increase transit access in the area. In addition to Sound Transit’s new light rail service, King County Metro is planning new bus service to support access to the NE 130th St light rail station.

Project Design

The following cross sections show the typical street design at various locations. We will share additional graphics that show intersection designs and other project elements in the future.

N 130th St: Greenwood Ave N to Linden Ave N

N 130th St: Linden Ave N to Aurora Ave N

N 130th St: Aurora Ave N to 1st Ave NE

Schedule

This image shows the project phases and indicates that we are in the early design phase

Planning (complete): We built on previous planning and community engagement work done in the area to create a set of improvements that responds to community priorities for accessing the NE 130th St light rail station. See Project Background for more information.

Design (2023-2025*): We completed preliminary design in May 2024 and expect to complete 30% design by the end of 2024. We are gathering feedback from the community and will share opportunities to meet the project team. Further design is dependent on identifying additional funding.

Construction (2026-2027*): When construction starts, we’ll share the schedule, upcoming activities, and expected impacts.

*Design and construction timelines are subject to change.

Funding

We are currently funded up to 30% design by the Seattle Transit Measure. We are identifying additional funding opportunities to advance project design and construction.

Project Background

This project is the result of multiple planning and community engagement processes to create connections to the NE 130th St light rail station and around the neighborhood. Sound Transit expects 3,300-3,700 daily riders at this station with 90% arriving by walking, biking, rolling, or taking transit.

Through two studies related to the upcoming N 130th St and N 148th St light rail stations (below), we heard from neighbors about priorities for improving safety and accessibility in their neighborhood. As a result, we identified a set of safety and mobility improvements that will help neighbors get to/from the light rail station and around their neighborhood.

NE 130th St & Shoreline South/NE 148th Stations: Multimodal Access Study: We worked with community members on a study of areas around two new light rail stations. The community identified key priorities for improvements, including:
- Upgrade sidewalks, bike facilities, and street crossings in neighborhoods near the future light rail stations
- Provide walking and biking connections along NE 130th St and NE 145th St
130th and 145th Station Area Planning: The Office of Planning & Community Development (OPCD) led a planning effort to get community feedback for the 130th & 145th (now N 148th St) Light Rail Station areas. This process brought together community members, City of Seattle staff, and other public agencies to talk about the changes these new light rail stations will bring to the region. We heard from the community about the need for:
- Improved safety for people walking and biking in the area
- Improved connections to surrounding neighborhoods and light rail stations
- Better east/west bus connections from adjacent neighborhoods to the light rail station
- Bus stop upgrades for connecting routes to the light rail station