We couldn’t be happier to see red again, and each day thousands of riders agree.

A new BAT Lane (Business Access and Transit) is open and buses are rolling smoother than ever eastbound on Northeast 45th Street in the University District.

Before and after GIF shows traffic in what would become a new eastbound bus lane on NE 45th Street in the U District
Red bus lane FTW: Bus delays (before) and bus reliability (after)

This was a collaborative project between Metro and the City of Seattle, improving five key blocks from Roosevelt Way Northeast to 15th Avenue Northeast.

Thanks to this effort, riders now have faster, more reliable trips on Routes 20, 31, 32, 44, 49, 70, 167, 372 and Sound Transit Express Route 586 (as well as Route 48 on Saturdays.) The new BAT lanes will save time for an estimated 20,000 bus riders on the average weekday.Metro trolley bus operating as Route 44 on NE 45th Street passing through the 11 avenue NE intersection in a new eastbound bus lane

The bus lanes were first identified by Metro and SDOT through the Route 44 Transit-Plus Multimodal Corridor Project. In addition to the BAT lanes recently added on Northeast 45th Street, Metro and SDOT also installed new BAT lanes on 15th Avenue Northeast between Northeast 40th and 45th streets in August 2021.Route 44 travels on NE 45th Street in a new eastbound bus only lane

 

More improvements are in the works this year in the Ballard, Wallingford, and Phinney Ridge neighborhoods. The rest of the Route 44 improvements will be constructed through 2022. More information about improvements can be found on the Route 44 project page.

Stay tuned for more rider improvements in the near future!