RapidRide Corridor 1064B (Route 36)

Metro Route 36 makes its way through Beacon Hill. Photo by SounderBruce.

This week is all RapidRide as we review the Candidate Corridors analyzed in Metro's recently published RapidRide Prioritization Plan.

King County Metro Corridor 1064B, a potential RapidRide conversion of Route 36 - traveling between Othello, Beacon Hill, Jackson Street, and Downtown Seattle - was recently set as a Tier 1 priority corridor for future RapidRide expansion. Metro also considered a northward route replacing much of Route 49, from Capitol Hill to the U-District, but ultimate prioritized focusing on Route 36.

The proposed conversion would add speed and reliability connecting South Seattle to the rest of the city. Metro's primary recommendation for RapidRide-ization of the route is the construction of a moderate amount of BAT (business access and transit) lanes.

Alignments

As part of Metro's review of the candidate corridor, Metro studied two alignment alternatives: Corridor 1064A, which would replace Route 36 and continue north to replace Route 49, and Corridor 1064B, which would primarily replace Route 36.

Route 36 + 49 options with Alignment 1 in Green, Alignment 2 in Yellow, and Shared segment in Red.

Two alignment alternatives are discussed in Appendix D: Corridor Reports. Alignment 1, green 1064A, combines Route 36 with the northern portion of Route 49 along Broadway through First Hill, bypassing downtown and Jackson Street. Alignment 2, yellow 1064B, retains the 36's routing on Jackson Street and downtown.

Unique among the RapidRide candidate corridors, King County Metro moved forward with fully analyzing both alignment alternatives (all other routes just had one representative alignment), but eventually chose the existing alignment Route 36, corridor 1064B.

Metro studied some route changes for both alignments. An alternative on 12th Avenue (shown in gray) was rejected due the high cost of adding trolley wires on 12th. An extension on Pike/Pine downtown (also in gray) was rejected as duplicating RapidRide J.

One minor change made it through initial screening: a reroute in North Beacon Hill moving service off 12th Ave S and onto 14th Ave S to eliminate the current one-way couplet.

Corridor 1064A Delays and Improvements

The bus delays for the Broadway alternative are predominantly concentrated along U District Station, 10th Avenue, Capitol Hill Station, and Beacon Hill Station.

Usually the existing Route 36 bus ride from end to end takes 30 minutes without traffic and 40 minutes in typical traffic, while during the PM peak traffic can take up to 47 minutes southbound. The existing Route 49 suffers from higher variability as fast as 20 minutes without traffic and up to 48 minutes during peak traffic.

Addressing the delays, the proposed transit investments are divided into four sections:

1. Bus/BAT lanes along NE Campus Pkwy and Eastlake Ave E both directions;
2. Bus/BAT lanes along 10th Ave E both directions or if not feasible implement queue jumps;
3. Bus/BAT lanes along Boren Avenue northbound and 12th Ave northbound plus southbound queue jump at 12th Ave S & S King St;
4. Bus/BAT lanes along Beacon Ave south of Jefferson Park in both directions.

The proposed improvements will improve peak travel times by 14% in the northbound direction and by 19% in the southbound direction. This notably misses out on improvements in Capitol Hill probably from complications with the streetcar. Same for the missing Beacon Hill Station bus lanes originally suggested 2 years ago facing issues with fitting the BAT lanes alongside the proposed bike lanes for the Beacon Ave S & 15th Ave S Safety Project.

The 10th Avenue E BAT lanes will be complicated by the proposed 10th Avenue E bike lanes in the Seattle Transportation Plan. There is currently around 40 feet width, so fitting general lanes, BAT lane and bike lanes simultaneously will not be possible even with the removal of parking.

Beacon Avenue south of Jefferson Park is wider and the bike lanes are in the existing grass median allowing adding the BAT lanes without any issues.

Corridor 1064A Station Stops

The RapidRide standard targets one-third of one-half mile station spacing. Currently the stations on Route 36 are on average one-fifth mile apart (1,100 feet). Around 70% of the existing bus stops are less a quarter mile apart.

Corridor 1064B Improvements and Station Stops

Corridor 1064B would implement all of the same improvements as Corridor 1064A south of South Jackson St, so the same details above apply. In downtown Seattle it would use the existing 3rd Avenue transitway and no further improvements are proposed there.

The proposed station locations on the shared segment are the same. The downtown Seattle segment will use the existing RapidRide stations while the Jackson Street segment will share stops and improvements chosen by RapidRide R.

One other relevant near-term project is $2 million 12th and Jackson Transit Hub project, which will:

Construct new transit passenger and pedestrian facilities at all four bus stops at the intersection. Work includes new unique and high visibility bus shelters with weather protected seating, sidewalk widening and curb bulb-outs, traveler information and wayfinding signs including real-time passenger information, pedestrian scale lighting, pedestrian guardrails, ADA curb ramps, and enhanced electrical infrastructure.

This project just went to bid, with construction starting next Summer, finishing in 2026.

Outcomes

The BAT lanes and station spacing would provide an estimated 14~19% speed benefit. Through if implemented now would provide a minor speed benefit closer to 5%. Given future land use changes, the current 10,244 weekday ridership would jump to 13,700 daily boardings. The estimated weekday productivity of the line would also jump to 62 riders per revenue hour compared to the current 37 riders per revenue hour.

Prioritization

As the only route analyzed along two corridors, King County Metro had to choose one of 1064A or 1064B to move forward with in the Appendix E: Evaluation Results.

The 1064B alignment of the original Route 36 was chosen with the higher equity scores regardless of the weighting.

Most of the metrics measured for both alignments were granted around the same points with the exception that the new corridor would have less households and jobs within a walkable range. Though given such a metric any bus route that doesn't run through downtown would always be compared unfavorably. For either alignment they were both the highest rated and Corridor 1064B was slated for Tier 1 prioritization alongside Corridor 1049 (Route 150). This tier is for projects Metro intends to construct with existing funds before 2039 after the current slate of RapidRide projects are completed.

Costs

Alignment 1064A (36 + 49) would cost $61,440,000 with 61% for stations and stops; 32% for transit speed and reliability; 3% for layover and terminus facilities; and 4% for trolley infrastructure. Alignment 1064B (36) would cost $34,290,000 with 68% for stations and stops; 24% for transit speed and reliability; 5%for layover and terminus facilities; and 3% for trolley infrastructure. Excluding the stations and stops, Corridor 1064Bs speed/reliability improvements and layover facilities could perhaps be built for only about $10 million.

Conclusion

Converting Route 36 to RapidRide will significantly improve travel times and reliability for Beacon Hill residents. By prioritizing the existing route, adding bus/BAT lanes, and enhancing stations, King County Metro will create a faster, more efficient connection to downtown. While initial speed gains may be modest, the project will support future growth and continue to serve the community. The proposal rerouting to First Hill and Capitol Hill still holds much promise and can be revisited later in the future.