Rainier Ave S Bus Lane

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Updated January 6, 2023

Improving transit reliability and travel times 

Project Overview

Bus lanes help keep buses moving more reliably by separating buses from other vehicles. Bus lanes reduce bus travel times, especially when traffic is heavy, by minimizing congestion-related delays. Our goal is to make transit an accessible, convenient, and reliable transportation choice for all people living in, working in, and visiting Seattle. One way we are working toward this goal is by expanding our network of bus lanes to create a more reliable and effective transit system that can move more people in less time.

We're working in partnership with King County Metro to improve transit reliability in the Rainier Valley. Route 7 is one of Seattle's busiest bus routes, serving 8,000 riders per day (11,200 riders per day prior to the pandemic). While Route 7 buses are scheduled to come every 10 minutes or sooner, buses are often delayed due to traffic congestion on Rainier Ave S. To help improve transit reliability on this important corridor, we're adding bus lanes on Rainier Ave S. This work will occur in two phases:

Phase 1 (completed July 2022) We installed a northbound bus lane between S Alaska St and S Walden St, and a southbound bus lane between S Oregon St and S Edmunds St. A travel lane was converted into the new bus lane and no existing on-street parking was removed. We’re monitoring traffic volumes on Rainier Ave S and on other nearby streets to better understand if and how traffic patterns change over the coming months. Based on what we learn, we may make future adjustments or implement other changes to help manage and calm traffic. 

Phase 2 (outreach in 2022) We're evaluating additional changes to further improve transit reliability and travel times, including expanding bus-only lanes further north on Rainier Ave S. We're evaluating options to extend the northbound bus lane on Rainier Ave S to S Grand St. We estimate this change will save people riding the bus 5 minutes during congested morning hours.

We are evaluating 2 options:

1. A continuous northbound bus lane, one general travel lane, and center turn lane between S Grand St to S Walden St
2. A continuious northbound bus lane between S Grand St and S Walden St that keeps 2 northbound travel lanes and removes the center turn lane between S Grand St to S College St

Additional information about the 2 options, including benefits and other considerations is below. 

Typical existing conditions between S Grand St to S Walden St

• 2 general traffic lanes in both directions 
• Center turn lane  

Image looking north. 

Option 1

• Continuous northbound bus lane from S Grand St to S Walden St
• One northbound general travel lane
• Keeps center turn lane

Benefits:

• New traffic signal at S Grand St to promote transit reliability and safer crossings
• Estimated to save nearly 5 minutes of travel time for buses when conditions are more congested than usual
• Makes riding the bus a more reliable and attractive transportation option
• Makes progress toward City climate and equity goals

Considerations:

• Potential for traffic diversion on neighborhood streets
• Travel times for people driving northbound on Rainier Ave S may increase by 9 minutes during the AM peak hours
• May need more investments to address barriers to taking the bus

Image looking north. 

Option 2

• Continuous northbound bus lane from S Grand St to S Walden St
• Between S Grand St to S College St, keep two northbound travel lanes and remove the center turn lane

Benefits:

• Adds 2 new traffic signals at S Grand St and S College St to promote transit reliability and safer crossings. New traffic signal at S College St will provide protected left turns.
• Estimated to save nearly 5 minutes of travel time for buses when conditions are more congested than usual
• Maintains 2 northbound travel lanes for I-90 access
• Makes riding the bus a more reliable and attractive transportation option
• Makes progress toward City climate and equity goals

Considerations:

• Restricts left turns between S Holgate St and S Walker St
• Requires adjusting all travel lane widths
• Potential for traffic diversion on neighborhood streets
• Travel times for people driving northbound on Rainier Ave S may increase by 5 minutes during AM peak hours
• May need more investments to address barriers to taking the bus 

Street design between S Grand St to S College St (looking north)

Street design between S College St to S Walden St (looking north) 

Project area map:

View an enlarged image.  

Project Background:

Rainier Ave S is a principal arterial street that connects people to businesses and cultural hubs in the city. It is also a minor freight corridor that connects people moving goods to their destinations. Rainier Ave S is also an important transit corridor serving King County Metro routes 4, 7, 9, 48, 50 and 106.

The Route 7 bus directly serves the growing Rainier Valley and communities that have been traditionally underrepresented and underserved. Many people who live in Rainier Valley depend on the Route 7 bus each day to access local services such as schools, grocery stores, jobs, and community gathering spaces. People continued to rely on the Route 7 during the COVID-19 pandemic and the bus route maintained some of the highest ridership numbers during the pandemic. In fall of 2020, Route 7 retained 60% of pre-COVID ridership. 

View an enlarged image. 

This project was selected in part as a near-term opportunity to improve bus reliability and travel time on a route where ridership remained high throughout the pandemic. By making these investments now, transit can continue to be a reliable and efficient transportation option for people as we continue to recover from the pandemic.

The Rainier Ave S bus lane project builds from previous outreach and planning efforts to improve transit reliability in Rainier Valley. SDOT and King County Metro conducted outreach in 2017-2018, and again in 2019-2020 to gather community input on transportation needs and priorities along Rainier Ave S as part of the RapidRide R Line project. Through that outreach we heard:

• People want reliable transit to reach destinations and essential services along Rainier Ave S (rather than just to commute to downtown)
• Support for bus trips that take less time and connect to other transit
• Safer access for people walking, biking, and rolling to bus stops (particularly at crossings near bus stops)
• Support for a bus lane between Chinatown-ID and Mt Baker Link Light Rail Station
• Most people support the proposal to remove on-street parking in favor of adding bus lanes, but there are concerns about potential impacts to small businesses 

Want to read more about RapidRide outreach? Read our 2019 outreach summary. 

Project Benefits

• Adding and expanding bus lanes on Rainier Ave S will improve bus reliability on Rainier Ave S, including frequent routes with high ridership such as the Routes 7, 48 and 106
• Adding bus lanes now will allow transit to continue to be a lifeline and better serve the Rainier Valley community as we collectively recover and rebuild from the pandemic
• Bus lanes will smoothly connect people on the bus to the new Judkins Park Light Rail Station opening in 2023, in addition to existing transit hubs like the Mt. Baker Light Rail Station and the McClellan St Metro Transit Station
• Rainier Ave S provides very frequent bus service in the morning during the AM peak period, with one northbound bus coming about every 3.5 minutes. Bus lanes will help more people get where they are going on-time and experience more consistent travel times. During an average morning trip, people on the bus can save 2 minutes after the bus lane is installed. During the most congested morning trips, people on the bus can save 6 minutes with a bus lane. 

• We expect that the Phase 1 project will save over 1 minute for people on the bus traveling north between S Alaska St and S Walden St. We anticipate even more travel time savings for people on the bus by extending the bus lane further north toward I-90 where traffic volumes are higher and congestion is often greater.