Route 40 improvements at 30% design

SDOT presented the Seattle Transit Advisory Board with a set of design concepts for the Route 40 corridor, slated to get priority bus treatments as part of the Move Seattle Levy. One of the most popular routes in the system, Route 40 also intersects with several other popular routes on its way from Downtown through SLU and Fremont to Ballard.

The 40 is frequent, but chronically tardy - more than 20% of Northbound trips are delayed at almost all hours of the day. As is the custom with these sorts of corridors, attention is focused on the choke points. Here are some highlights. Remember that this is 30% design, so the usual Hunger Games rules apply: not every concept presented below will make it to the final project, may the odds be yadda yadda yadda...

At Westlake and Valley, the outbound bus stop would be moved to the far side of the intersection and a center-running bus lane will be added inbound:

Heading north into Fremont, a bus-only slip lane may be added at the Fremont bridge, bike lanes continue across the intersection, and bus lanes may be added on Dexter (a bonus, since the 40 doesn't run there, but it's part of the corridor and probably necessary given the bike lane).

Heading across, the bridge, you'll see a dedicated bike lane at 34th street and a 1-block bus-bike lane between 34th and 35th, along with a few new turn restrictions.

Crossing the Ballard bridge, the RapidRide D line stop has been moved across the street. The 40 would be able to stay straight in the right-turn lane on Leary to a new, wider bus stop for it and the 17, 18 and 29 in front of Peddler Brewing Co.

At Leary Way and Dock Pl, a new consolidated stop with a bulb attempts to make this wide street feel a little more human-scaled.

Heading onto Market St, notice the Market Street multimodal improvements that we covered as part of the Route 44 project. Bus-only lanes on Market and Leary are joined by new bike infrastructure on 22nd Ave NW.