NE 130th St & 125th St project reaches final design, supporting connections to future light rail | LEVY DOLLARS AT WORK

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At-a-glance:

• With a new Sound Transit Link light rail station at NE 130th St near I-5 scheduled to open in 2026, we're planning for key transit, bike, and pedestrian improvements to provide safer and more efficient access for everyone traveling between Haller Lake and Lake City.
• Multiple SDOT projects between Bitter Lake and Lake City will support greater access to the future station, with street and sidewalk safety upgrades for people traveling in these neighborhoods. Learn more about this series of projects on our website.
• This blog post focuses on the NE 125th St & NE 130th St Mobility and Safety Project, which just reached the final design milestone.
• Thanks to everyone who stopped by our events, met with the project team, and shared your feedback. Check out our Design Outreach Summary to learn what we heard during recent outreach.
• Project construction begins in 2025 and is expected to last approximately 1 year.
• Stay informed about project news and construction activities by signing up for email updates. You can find this project under the "walking and biking" section.

Sound Transit is opening the NE 130th St light rail station in 2026 and we're making sure that people can get there safely and comfortably. To support the 90% of light rail riders expected to get to the new station by walking, biking, rolling, or taking transit, we designed a set of improvements that include improved crossings, a new street design, traffic calming, curb-protected bike lanes, transit upgrades, and more.

Not only will these improvements make it easier to get to the light rail station, they also improve connections between the Haller Lake, Pinehurst, Victory Heights, Olympic Hills, Jackson Park, and Lake City neighborhoods.

NE 125th St & NE 130th St Mobility and Safety Project

[Link]Map of the project area. Graphic: SDOT

Key Features

Safety

• Street design that emphasizes safety with separation between vehicles, bikes, and people walking or rolling. The new street will have 1 vehicle lane in each direction, protected bike lanes or routes, and a center turn lane.
• New roundabout at Roosevelt Way NE & 10th Ave NE to improve traffic flow and travel safety. The roundabout includes flashing crossing beacons and concrete curb-protected bike lanes.
• Traffic calming with speed cushions (speed humps) and turn lane medians to prevent passing in some places.

Walking, biking, and rolling

• Crossing improvements include Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons, crossing signals, and Leading Pedestrian Intervals that give people walking and rolling a head start in some locations.
• Concrete curb-protected bike facilities along the corridor. Facility types vary by location and include a shared-use path, 2-way bike lanes, and single-direction bike lanes.
• Sidewalk repairs and new ADA-accessible curb ramps in some places.

Transit

• Bus-only lanes on the I-5 overpass and near Lake City Way NE to help with bus trip reliability.
• Upgraded and new bus stops with new bus shelters and lighting and raised bike lane crossings.
• Bus signal priority upgrades that give buses a head start.

Check out the full set of improvements and our project design on the project website.

Community Outreach Recap

We worked with the community from fall 2023 to summer 2024 to share the project design and get input. We hosted 2 open houses and 7 tabling events, conducted 3 surveys, went door-to-door to talk to neighbors, and met with local community-based organizations.

We heard a need for vehicle-separated walking, biking, and rolling facilities, safer crossings and intersection designs, and traffic calming. We also heard concerns about increased congestion with reduced vehicle lanes and a need for outreach and education on navigating the new roundabout at Roosevelt Way NE.

In response to community requests, we added the following elements to the final design:

• Safety redesign of 3rd Ave NE & NE 130th St
• Traffic calming with speed cushions (select locations)
• Center turn lane medians to prevent passing (select locations)

Check out our Design Outreach Summary to learn more about how we engaged people and what we heard during outreach. Here are a few examples of what we've heard directly from community members:

"What an improvement. I will be able to safely bike or scoot all the way from the station to Lake City Way. I can't wait!"

"I'm really excited about both the roundabout at Roosevelt and the protected bike lanes. I appreciate the safety for bikes and the improvement for the intersection at Roosevelt."

"Add additional medians to break up the continuous turn lane and reduce space for motor vehicle drivers to recklessly make illegal passing maneuvers using the mostly empty turning lane."

[Link]Community members discuss the project design at the March 2024 in-person open house at the Lake City Library. Photo: SDOT

What's Next

• We expect construction to start as soon as mid-2025. Before construction starts, we'll work with the community to understand their needs during construction, share the schedule, and identify anticipated impacts.
• Stay informed about project and construction activities by signing up for project updates. You can find this project under the "walking and biking" section.

Thank you again for your interest, and please be sure to sign up for our updates to stay informed.

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