Construction has been completed at 12 C Line stops, though site amenities are still to be installed at seven of these. None of the RapidRide stations have been installed yet—riders won’t be seeing the larger station shelters until mid-April.
Work is now underway on the following stops:
- California Avenue SW and SW Findlay St – Northbound
- California Avenue SW just north of Fauntleroy Way SW – Northbound
- Fauntleroy Way SW just west of California Avenue SW – Westbound
- 35th Avenue SW and SW Avalon Way – Northbound
- SW Alaska Street and 44th Avenue SW (Alaska Junction Bay 4) – Westbound
- SW Wildwood Place and 45th Avenue SW – Westbound
Now 35th and Avalon has NO temporary walkways, northbound or southbound. WHY?? Yes I did mean to shout there. It’s been nearly 4 months now. At least don’t take both our walkways. Why didn’t you wait until the one was finished before starting the other??
what an absolute waist of money and a MAJOR mess up with traffic. Its unbelievable how far these damn new stops back up traffic because the freakin’ bus is blocking the road because the new sidewalk at each stop jets out into the roadway. And since the majority of the stops are just past an intersection, they back up traffic into, and WAY beyond the intersection behind the stopped bus. I saw the Fauntleroy / California intersection backed up past McDonald’s (that would be close to 1000 feet) just because a freakin’ bus was stopped at one of the moronic designed bus stops. Would love to know what moron got this design to pass the approval to go into affect (maybe we should bring back public lynchings!)….and I don’t even want to consider how much money each of these stupid bus stops cost us tax-payers to rip out the old covered stop, tear out the old sidewalk, and install the new, pretty stuff….I’d bet they are close to $100,000 each! Just once again this shows you how stupid our governments are…. and of course engineer and designers.
I am curious as to when the construction will be completed, or is estimated to be completed, on the station at the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal. Thanks!
Except it’s now 26 days later and nothing has changed.
And we can’t just walk up to the 35th & Snoqualmie stop, because the sidewalk is closed. And it’s hard to cross 35th there from the other side of the street, as there is no light and it’s hard to see what’s coming over the hill. Or walk up to Alaska and cross at the light. It takes longer, and probably it’s worse for anyone who ‘stunning mobility-challenged.
Our shelter was removed over 2 months ago! Why didn’t they leave it alone until they were actually ready to replace it????
Why can’t we at least get a detour so we could walk to the temporary stop on the same side???
First comment: this is a little late because work has been going for a week or so. Where was the notice of bus stop closures, especially ones of such duration? Example Fauntleroy Way and Alaska Street. There was a sign announcing the C line but nothing about when, or if, the stop would close. Many people had to run down the street after a bus to one stop or the other because there were no signs or temporary bus stop.
Second: Couldn’t a better job have been done addressing the crosswalk at this intersection? The south side is the only connection between west bound busses on Alaska and the south half of Fauntleroy, Currently there is a bunch of gravel strewn on the edge of the intersection with a police-ish looking man scaring people away from crossing. What are people supposed to do, cross to the new super busy Trader Joe’s side and jay walk across a five way intersection?
Third: If the city has a noise ordinance that allows heavy construction until 5pm and typical construction until 7 pm and the sun is up until at least 6:30 now, does it really make sense that the work crews are stopping at 3 pm? This construction is impacting businesses, residents and transportation and the work progress is happening as if it is a lazy Sunday with no care in the world.
I understand this is supposed to all be for the greater good but some thought of what the people who live here actually have to go through would be appreciated. Here’s to hoping it is actually worth it in the end.
Exactly how much faster than a 54 is this supposed to be? Enough to make up for the longer walking times for most people?
Why does this bypass Admiral? If it’s going to replace the 85, then why is Metro neglecting the all-night grocery stores and pubs in the area that have people needing a ride home?!
Will the Rapid Ride C line become the D line as it leaves downtown going north ? Does the Rapid Ride D line become the C line as it leaves downtown going south ?
Seeing the Rapid Ride “stops” replacing the old Metro stops (on Fautleroy Way) curious as to the cost and justification? Metro has removed at least 2 perfectly functional, covered, enclosed with bench, stops with the streamlined, not so functional (from a get out of the weather standpoing) Rapid Ride stops. These “enclosures” have no bench, only have a roof, no sides (the bench is to the outside, totally exposed). Given the news of Metro’s budget woes, couldn’t this money have been more wisely allocated with still being able to add signage to these (for example) existing perfectly functional (actually more functional) stops? Not to meantion the yards and yards of concrete that were laid replacing the sidewalks in conjunction with the “new” Rapid Ride “stops”…Would love to see what these cost the riders/taxpayers and the justification for.
Will the busses that normally stop at BAy 4 still stop there afterward?
Yes, buses that have been temporarily redirected from Alaska Junction Bay 4 to Bay 3 will return to Bay 4 when construction is finished.
There appears to be a bus bulb at California Ave SW and SW Findlay St. stop. I am curious how this works because it appears that the bus will have to stop in the traffic lane to pick up passengers. Can you please explain. Thank you.
Traffic will stop behind buses while passengers board and exit. Bus bulbs give priority to buses, so they don’t have to pull out of traffic and then wait to re-enter. Bus bulbs on California Avenue SW at SW Findlay Street and Fauntleroy Way SW will help the C Line move more quickly. Buses won’t take as long to serve these stops as they do today because RapidRide stations will have ORCA readers, allowing riders with passes to pay before boarding and get on through any of three bus doors.
The flow of traffic on Fauntleroy Way SW is a problem especially when the ferry traffic is involved. The neighbors of Fauntleroy already have to wait for ferry traffic to pass before entering Fauntleroy or wait in a long line before crossing over California. We wait for hundreds of families and visitors crossing Fauntleroy to Lincoln Park. Now we have to wait for the bus to stop in the traffic lane to pick up riders? And the cost? When will the impact on the neighborhood be considered and the individuals that live and work there come into the plan?
Cool. How long will it be before we get our sidewalk back to walk to the temporary stop at 36th and Avalon?
We’re sorry for any inconvenience!
Work at 35th/Avalon is scheduled to continue for at least two more weeks. At present, work crews are resolving issues related to the relocation of a utility pole in the work zone, working with the contractor, the Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle City Light, and various telecommunications utilities that use the pole.
The temporary bus stop to the south at SW Snoqualmie Street will remain available throughout the construction project.
Thanks!
Unfortunately it’s been nearly 4 weeks since your post on March 29, and nothing appears to have happened at the 35th and Avalon northbound stop. Furthermore, the sidewalk is blocked off, so we can’t just walk up the hill to 35th and Snoqualmie. Why can’t they put a temporary walkway of some kind there?
Those of us walking to the stop from the north now have to cross 35th at Snoqualmie to get to the temporary stop. This isn’t that safe, as there’s no light and it’s hard to see what’s coming over the hill from the south at 40-plus miles an hour. Or we have to go up to the light at 35th and Alaska and cross there. This takes longer—I know I’ve missed my bus a couple times and been late for work, and I’m sure it’s even harder for anyone who is mobility-
I even saw one woman walking in the road on 35th toward the stop one morning. Not very safe, but I suppose she was worried about missing her bus and being late for work.
They took the bus shelter out about February 17, over two months ago! At the time there was a sign saying it’d only be for a couple weeks. Why didn’t they wait to take it out until they knew they’d be able to replace it promptly? Why didn’t they coordinate with Seattle City light, the phone company and other utility providers BEFORE removing the stop? I notice they started work on the southernmost stops first, but they removed ALL the stops at once. Why??
From comments I saw on another site, it sounds like this stop won’t be available for a couple more months—is this correct? Can we at least get a temporary walkway to make it easier to get to the temporary stop?
(I tried to post about this a couple times today but it didn’t seem to go through. If it did, sorry about that, and could you please remove this? Thanks.)
Construction at this site is being coordinated by the City of Seattle’s Department of Transportation, who just sent us an update containing the following info:
Work was delayed when the city’s contractor learned that the wooden utility pole at the site turned out to have a rotten foundation and had to be replaced, which took some time. The construction crew resumed work at the site early last week, but there are still a number of things to be done and we now expect the bus stop to reopen in late May.
Although it’s inconvenient for pedestrians coming from the northeast to take a circuitous route to the west side of 35th, north to Snoqualmie, and then back across 35th to the temporary bus zone, it isn’t safe for pedestrians to walk in the street so detouring across the street is the safest route.
The City and its contractor are aware that many bus riders use the 35th and Avalon stop, and are working to restore it as quickly as possible.
You can follow developments on the City’s project website (www.seattle.gov/transportation/tpci_west_seattle.htm).
Thanks for the update. This is very frustrating that we have to wait almost another month to get our stops, as well as our shelters and seats back. Some people are physically challenged and walking the extra block or more uphill is hard for them.
I don’t understand why this wasn’t coordinated better so that the wait time for the new shelters/stops wouldn’t have been so long.
It is now May 2, and the 35th & Avalon location is still under construction. Traffic is a mess in the morning with crews blocking off the far right lane from 35th/avalon to Snolqualmine heading northbound at 7 AM. Why start during rush hour? Can’t you start blocking off after 9 AM?
What’s with the ad?
We use a third-party provider to host this blog. The provider offers a free account in exchange for the right to put advertising on our posts. It seems to only happen occasionally. If you see an ad on our blog that you find objectionable, please let us know.