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Complete: Route 48 project supports more reliable bus trips between Mount Baker, Central District and UW

ByJeff Switzer, King County Metro
image of crosswalks supporting people access to bus service

SDOT Photo: People cross the street with their dog at the improved intersection of Boyer Ave E and 24th Ave E where pedestrians get a head start.
Cross posted from the SDOT Blog.

At-a-glance

  • We’ve completed major construction for the Route 48 Transit-Plus Multimodal Corridor Project.
  • Construction kicked off in March to support more reliable trips for people riding the Route 48 bus.
  • The project offers several important features and benefits:
    • Signal upgrades for buses: New “smart signals” at 14 intersections that activate or extend green lights for buses traveling through the corridor (signals activated on a rolling basis through early 2025).
    • Bus travel improvements: Southbound bus-only lane between South Massachusetts Street and South Grand Street and a bus-only left turn lane from southbound 23rd Avenue South to Rainier Avenue South to improve bus reliability.
    • Boyer Avenue East walking and biking improvements: New ADA-accessible curb ramps, upgraded crossing signals with better visibility that give people a head start, and improved walking and biking connections to the Central Area Neighborhood Greenway, the Arboretum, and the Montlake Neighborhood
  • The upgraded route helps students get to the University of Washington, Montlake Elementary, Holy Names Academy, Meany Middle School, Garfield High School, Washington Middle School, Thurgood Marshall Elementary, and other community resources by bus.
  • You’ll also have better access to the upcoming RapidRide G Line and light rail stations in Mount Baker, Judkins Park, Capitol Hill, University of Washington, and the U District.
  • We hope you take a ride on Route 48 soon, and visit the many restaurants, local shops, and other community destinations that this bus route serves.
  • Thank you to everyone who helped shape the project’s design and navigated our construction this spring and summer.
  • This project was funded by the voter-approved Levy to Move Seattle.

Headed north or south between Mount Baker, the Central District, and the University of Washington? Your bus ride will be more reliable moving forward. We’d like to highlight some key improvements now available to the traveling public with the construction of the Route 48 project in the rearview mirror.

Here is a brief overview of the project’s top features and photos of completed elements. Please note that we’ll be wrapping up a few remaining tasks and tidying up the project area over the next several weeks. We’ll also activate the transit signal priority upgrades on a rolling basis as we complete fiber optic connections through early 2025.

Upgraded signal and new accessible curb ramps at Boyer Avenue East and 24th Avenue East in Montlake

An upgraded signal gives buses priority when moving through the intersection and reduces conflicts with a new protected left turn for northbound and southbound vehicles. It also gives people walking a head start when crossing the street.

The widened curb ramp and relocated crossing signal button on the southwest corner give people biking a better connection to the Central Area Neighborhood Greenway.

These improvements help people access the Arboretum and the Montlake neighborhood while creating a more reliable experience for everyone commuting and traveling in the area.

Image of an intersection taken from the left corner on the curb. The curb goes down to the street via a yellow curb ramp. Vibrant white crossing stripes connect each corner. A biker crosses the crosswalk as a black sedan waits to turn right. 3 out of 4 traffic lights are red.View of the newly upgraded crosswalks, accessible curb ramps, and push signals at Boyer Ave E and 24th Ave E. Photo: SDOT

New southbound bus-only lane on 23rd Avenue South, between South Massachusetts Street and South Grand Street, in Judkins Park

This helps keep buses moving and get folks where they need to go.  Combined with signal improvements, the bus-only lanes help keep buses moving through congestion and support reliable trips.

Bus only lane with a bus driving forward. The Bus Only lane writes "Bus only" in white blocky letters and surrounded by a red background and two stripes above and below the text. Skinny trees line the sidewalk closest to the street. View of a Route 48 bus traveling along 23rd Ave S, where a new bus-only lane was installed as part of the project. Photo: SDOT

New bus-only left turn lane onto Rainier Ave S from 23rd Ave S in Rainier Valley

This improves connections to the Mount Baker light rail station and helps buses move through this busy intersection with fewer delays.

View of a Route 48 bus entering the new bus-only left turn lane from 23rd Ave S onto Rainier Ave S. Photo: SDOT

Project map

Map of Route 48 highlighted by an orange line. Route 48 project area is highlighted by a blue line and runs in the middle of the orange line. 14 purple dots scattered among the blue line represents transit signal priority upgrades. Below the last purple dot at the bottom a short red line mars the southbound transit-only lane and a little below that a dashed red line represents a southbound transit-only left turn lane.

Map of the project area from the Mount Baker Transit Center to the U District. Graphic: SDOT

Thanks again for your participation in project planning and design, and your patience as we completed construction. We’ll see you on the next Route 48 bus!

One Comment

  1. How about hurrying up on the trolley wire project for this route, and quit ignoring everyone advocating for trolleybus expansion?

    Reply

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