Water main work in Eastlake (Image: SPU)
A SDOT rendering of the future Eastlake Ave E — In the meantime, the street is torn up and constricted by work zones for the RapidRide project
Construction on Seattle’s RapidRide J Line has surpassed the halfway mark. The city says the milestone will signal a shift past the project’s most disruptive phase toward visible street-level upgrades.
As in the construction phases of the RapidRide G line across Madison, the work has left Eastlake’s main artery torn up and choked off with major work zones as crews rip up and replace miles of infrastructure.
The 5.5-mile J corridor designed to replace King County Metro’s Route 70 with a “bus rapid transit” route will connect Eastlake, Downtown, Belltown, South Lake Union, and the University District with the city’s first fully electric RapidRide bus service.
Coordinated alongside Seattle Public Utilities’ replacement of century-old water mains, the transformation extends beyond transit upgrades. The city says the corridor will feature 3.7 miles of new protected bike lanes, nearly 100 ADA-compliant curb ramps, expanded sidewalks, upgraded street lighting, and newly planted trees. Transit riders will also see full-featured stations equipped with weather shelters, off-board fare collection, and real-time arrival displays.
In an update earlier this month, SDOT said the project backed by voter-approved Seattle Transportation Levy, federal transit grants, and state support, was moving onto final surface paving, concrete pours, station assembly, and bike lane installations.
Transportation officials say the remaining construction will continue through next year.
Meanwhile, SDOT says it has been busy across the rest of the city with Transportation Levy projects and maintenance including citywide safety, paving, and mobility improvements.
For areas around Capitol Hill and the Central District, SDOT focused on easing persistent east-west transit bottlenecks. Crews installed dedicated red bus lanes along Denny Way and the city funded service increases for Route 8, speeding up travel times and boosting reliability for Capitol Hill and Central District commuters.
Across the wider city network, crews advanced multi-modal connections on several key corridors including reaching the halfway point for the RapidRide J Line through Eastlake and nearing completion on Route 40 transit improvements. The city has added protected lanes on Yesler Way in Pioneer Square and along a new Belltown-to-Seattle Center corridor. Additional summer work included arterial repaving, expanded sidewalk networks near transit hubs, and pedestrian safety upgrades such as intersection daylighting to boost crosswalk visibility.
Looking ahead, city transportation officials applauded Mayor Katie Wilson’s 2027-2028 budget proposal they say will keep the city transportation network resilient amid mounting budget pressures.
Facing rising costs for labor, contracting, and materials alongside sluggish revenues, the Seattle Department of Transportation says it will be part of closing the city’s deficit.
To preserve key safety and mobility goals including Vision Zero initiatives and ongoing delivery of the 2024 Seattle Transportation Levy, the mayor’s proposal taps into several adjusted revenue streams to help power SDOT in the coming years. Wilson’s proposals include raising the commercial parking tax from 14.5% to 17%, updating street-use and permitting fees, and utilizing King County’s 0.1% transportation sales tax for bridge upkeep.
Safety investments will also see expanded funding via automated traffic enforcement, adding school speed zone cameras across 19 sites and implementing 24/7 speed cameras at four high-crash locations by 2027.
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