The NE 130th St & NE 125th St Mobility and Safety Project in Seattle has advanced to its final design stage, with construction planned to begin in 2025, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) announced on their blog. This comprehensive project aims to create safer and more efficient routes for everyone accessing the upcoming Sound Transit Link light rail station at NE 130th St, set to open its doors in 2026.
Anticipated to last approximately one year, the project includes an array of upgrades, starting with a street design emphasizing the separation of vehicles, bikes, and pedestrians. It includes concrete curb-protected bike lanes and improved crossing signals with Leading Pedestrian Intervals in some locations, according to the SDOT blog post. The project will also feature a new roundabout at Roosevelt Way NE & 10th Ave NE—with traffic calming measures such as speed cushions and center turn lane medians designed to deter dangerous passing maneuvers.
A focus on promoting safety and connectivity can be seen in the layout, which introduces single-vehicle lanes in each direction, a center turn lane, and distinct paths for cyclists and pedestrians. Transit enhancements, like bus-only lanes on the I-5 overpass and near Lake City Way NE, will also bolster bus trip reliability and signal upgrades to give buses a head start, per SDOT's description.
Input from the community played a pivotal role in shaping the project's trajectory, with SDOT stating they had mulled over the community response from fall 2023 to summer 2024, which included a variety of public engagement strategies like open houses, surveys, and direct outreach where among the design details praised one person expressed their anticipation, saying "What an improvement. I will be able to safely bike or scoot from the station to Lake City Way. I can’t wait!" according to the Seattle Department of Transportation, while another keenly noted the benefits of the planned roundabout and bike lanes and another community member highlighting the need for additional traffic calming median, as they shared concerns about the continuous turn lane being misused by drivers. The final design incorporates these elements, indicating a response to the public sentiment.
