Seattle Receives Nearly $60M For New RapidRide Route

SEATTLE — The City of Seattle has received a $59.9 million boost in federal funding to help spur the creation of a new bus line.

According to the city, the money will cover about 45% of its Madison Bus Rapid Transit project, a project which will create a new RapidRide G Line stretching from downtown, through First Hill, Capitol Hill, the Central District and into Madison Valley.

Much of the remaining funding will come from the Levy to Move Seattle and Capital Improvement Program.

The project is the culmination of a plan set in motion back in 2012, when the Seattle Transit Master Plan first identified Madison Street as a potential host for a new, high-capacity bus route. The city says it will help connect residents to hospitals, businesses, schools and can even link up with the First Hill Streetcar and the Colman Dock Ferry Terminal.

“This good news will help ensure frequent, high-quality transit service the full length of the busy Madison corridor – from Downtown Seattle and First Hill, to the Madison Valley and Lake Washington,” said County Executive Dow Constantine. “The future G line will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, take cars off the road, and expand opportunity through safe, accessible, and reliable service.”

Now that funding has been secured, the Federal Transit Administration will need to execute the grant agreement with the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT). Once that's out of the way, construction is expected to begin this fall, with the G line opening for passengers in 2024.

Once construction begins, it will be fairly substantial. Crews will be repaving streets to allow for new, bus-only lanes, building new bus shelters and platforms, upgrading streetlights in First Hill, plus installing five new traffic signals.

You can find a more granular breakdown of the changes coming to every intersection on the Seattle Department of Transportation's website.

That'll be a hassle, but it'll all be worth it, SDOT says, to make way for a new RapidRide service which promises buses every 10 minutes and supports some of Seattle's historically underserved neighborhoods.

“I know so many friends who move to Capitol Hill so they don’t have to drive to work and they need fast public transportation,” said Pony Bar owner Mark Stoner. “The Madison Bus Rapid Transit line is going to make it easier to get to work on time and to pop back home without slogging through rush hour gridlock."