The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is planning safety improvements to Aurora Avenue North (State Route 99), and is inviting the public to participate in an online survey to share input on potential safety improvements. In addition to the long-term planning effort, SDOT is also planning several short-term improvements including the Green Lake Outer Loop Project which is scheduled to begin construction as soon as September, considering options to extend bus-only lanes from downtown to the Aurora Bridge, and organizing neighborhood walks throughout August for community members to provide ideas for the Aurora Licton Urban Village Home Zone project.

SDOT is partnering with King County Metro in this work and future improvements in the corridor.

The survey will remain open through September 30, 2022. It is also available in 繁体字 (Chinese), 한국어 (Korean), Español (Spanish), Tagalog (Filipino), ትግርኛ (Tigrinya), and Tiếng việt (Vietnamese).

Aurora Avenue North connects communities, people, and goods throughout north Seattle and beyond. However, like Seattle’s other major arterial streets, Aurora Avenue North has continued to see a concerning and tragic trend of life-altering and life-ending crashes. The street is an uncomfortable place to walk, roll, or bike and is especially challenging for people with disabilities or other mobility needs.

The Aurora Avenue Project is studying ways to make the street work better for everyone. This study will also identify ways to improve transit safety, speed, and reliability, and create better transit connections. SDOT is also working with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), which is a project funding partner and helps manage Aurora Avenue North.

Survey responses will help SDOT better understand community priorities and interests, and design improvements to help address community concerns.

The Aurora Avenue North Project will:

  • Create a design for the Aurora Avenue North corridor that enhances safety, mobility, and accessibility for all travelers.
  • Identify potential transit service improvements and connections with nearby light rail stations, as well as safety and security improvements at transit stops.
  • Address the needs of residents, businesses, and other stakeholders in a unified vision for the corridor through an equitable and robust engagement process.
  • Consider collision history and safety challenges along the corridor, addressing the areas with the most serious collisions or collisions involving vulnerable road users.
  • Develop a strategy to construct corridor improvements as resources become available.

Once the survey is completed, SDOT will conduct design workshops in Winter 2023 to develop design alternatives. SDOT will conduct another survey in Summer 2023 to receive feedback on the design alternatives and share preferred alternatives in Fall 2023.