Denny Way Repaving and Future Route 8

Denny Way facing west from SounderBruce flickr

The Denny Way Paving project will repave 12 blocks of Denny Way as well as add curb bulbs, no-turn-on-red signs, 8 new curb ramps, and bus stop changes. The project predominantly focuses on pedestrian safety.

Denny Way Repaving Project Map

Denny Way will be repaved from 5th Avenue (near Seattle Center) to Stewart Street (in SLU) for 11 blocks or around 4000 feet. Yale Avenue will also receive new asphalt paving from Denny Way to Howell Street for 1 block.

The sidewalk will be improved along with 8 new curb ramps and 21 rebuilt curb ramps allowing for easier ADA mobility. For safer intersection crossings, 28 no turn on red" signs will be added and 25 stop bars will be painted at every signalized intersection. SDOT wll also add 8 curb bulbs to shorten crossing distances including 4 paint-and-post curb bulbs, 1 plastic curb-and-post bulb and 3 concrete curb bulbs.

Google Maps SLU neighborhood annotated with bus stop consolidation.
Removed bus stops have red X, Existing bus stops circled in green; New Bus Stop with blue

For transit reliability, some minor bus stop consolidation will remove two bus stops in the westbound direction at Denny Way / 6th Ave and Denny Way / Dexter Ave N. A new bus stop in the westbound direction will be added at Denny Way / 7th Ave N. The stop spacing will increase from ~750 feet (0.14 mile) to ~1100 feet (0.20 mile), which is generally acceptable. The new bus stop is also slightly closer to the RapidRide E bus stop.

In the eastbound direction, the Denny Way / 6th Ave bus stop is removed. The stop spacing increases from ~800 feet (0.15 mile) to ~1200 feet (0.23 mile). While it isn't great to have bus stops removed, hopefully the bus stop consolidation manages to help the bus reliability a bit.

The Late 8 campaign advocates proposed adding bus lanes in both directions on Denny Way to help alleviate Route 8 bus stuck in traffic. Typically the Route 8 in the afternoon is stuck eastbound because of many cars waiting to turn right on Yale Ave N. Those drivers are attempting to head onto the southbound onramp for I-5. For the repaving project, no additional transit lanes will be added/extended and it is unclear whether SDOT will be willing to reallocate more lanes for transit in the future.

Harrison Street and SLU transit futureHarrison and Mercer Transit Access Project by SDOT

The Harrison and Mercer Transit Access Project by SDOT will build a new east-west transit route through SLU. The new corridor will run from 5th Ave N to Fairview Ave N as well as connect to the Eastlake Layover Facility.

Route 8 would be moved off Denny Way west of Fairview Avenue, running on a new Harrison Street pathway (blue) to its terminus on Mercer Street (green) by SDOT

SDOT made plans in 2022 to reroute Route 8 to reach Lower Queen Anne via Harrison Street and then Mercer Street rather than Denny Way. In more recent documents, SDOT has clarified that it isn't guaranteed to move the route to Harrison Street.

Specifically in the 2023 Q&A:

Will Route 8 be moved to Harrison?

Metro and SDOT have made substantial investments to improve Route 8 reliability in the last five years and Metro remains committed to providing bus service on Denny Way. Metro's long range plan also identifies bus service on both Denny Way and the Harrison/Mercer Street corridor. Shifting Route 8 to the Harrison and Mercer corridor is only one of several potential options to utilize an additional east-west pathway for buses through South Lake Union and Uptown. Before the corridor is ready for service in 2028, Metro will evaluate different service options to determine what routes will operate in the new corridor. This service plan will be informed by a community engagement process, which has not yet begun, as well as availability of service funding.

Without shifting the high ridership bus Route 8 though, it's unclear how SDOT will justify building the new transit street.

Route Denny Way/Boren Ave/MLK Way

Metro Connects (long range plan) suggested extending existing Route 106 from Renton via Rainier Beach to CID north on Boren Ave to SLU. The route would then run on Denny Way to Lower Queen Anne, taking over Route 8s portion on Denny Way in Belltown.

Perhaps one alternative for Harrison Street could have an extended Route 106 use the new transit street. This would allow Route 8 to continue on Denny Way without duplication.

Route 8 RapidRide and Split FutureLeft: Existing Route 8 map. Right: new east-west only variant

Further in the future, Metro Connects suggested splitting Route 8 into a north-south and east-west route, similar to RapidRide Bs proposed split of the L. The new east-west route would run from Lower Queen Anne to SLU via Harrison Street, then to Capitol Hill via Denny Way and finally ending in Madison Park. The east-west route is a potential RapidRide candidate.

Route 8 east-west variant, Route 48 on 23rd Ave and Corridor 3997 on MLK Way

The remainder portion of Route 8 on MLK way would be taken over by the new corridor 3997 which would start at Kaiser Permanente on 15th Ave and end at Beacon Hill Station using College Street instead of terminating at Mount Baker Station.

Conclusion

The Denny Way repaving will add better pedestrian safety and access to the corridor as well as minor bus consolidations. Hopefully in the future bus lanes will be extended along the corridor helping Route 8. The future of east-west transit in SLU continues with the Harrison Street transit way but it remains unclear which bus route will be routed down that corridor.