Mayor Wilson’s First Orders: Denny Way Bus Lanes and Housing

Route 8 stuck in traffic on Denny Way (Michael Smith)

This morning, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson announced two executive orders delivering on campaign promises: one will accelerate production of emergency shelter and affordable housing, and the other will quickly implement transit improvements starting on Denny Way. Executive Order 2026-01 directs SDOT to design and install at least one dedicated bus lane on Denny Way, with the goal of significantly improving the reliability, speed, and performance of Route 8 and other transit services operating in the corridor."

Route 8 has long suffered from chronic congestion on Denny Way in South Lake Union (SLU). The crosstown route uses the only east-west corridor that connects the Seattle Center and SLU with Capitol Hill. Unfortunately, this corridor is also a popular feeder street for I-5. In 2018, an eastbound bus lane was installed on Denny between Minor Ave and Steward St. Despite the one-block-long bus lane, Route 8 continued to flounder in traffic. As South Lake Union has grown, the route's reliability has continued to suffer. In July 2025, the Fix the L8 campaign hosted a race during which people walked, danced, and paraded on Denny between Dexter and Stewart Avenues faster than a Metro Route 8 bus. Consequently, construction of more dedicated bus lanes on Denny became a significant promise of Wilson's campaign for Mayor.

Additional SDOT work included in the Executive Order include:

• Working with King County Metro to identify, evaluate, and implement additional transit improvements on Denny;
• Engage with users of the Denny Way corridor including transit riders, bicycle riders, pedestrians, freight, and organizations and businesses" which rely on Denny for access;
• Conduct a comprehensive performance evaluation of the Denny Way corridor before and after implementation; and
• Expedited implementation of these improvements, with timeline, budget, and plans returned to the Mayor's office by April 17, 2026, and recommendations for additional corridors where transit improvements can deliver high-impact benefits".

The Mayor's announcement includes quotes from a few transit advocates who helped make this urgent improvement a political priority: Nick Sattelle and Jason Li (co-leads of Fix the L8) and Kirk Hovenkotter (Executive Director of the Transportation Choices Coalition). In a series of STB posts last year, the Fix the L8 campaign proposed two-way bus lanes from Stewart to 1st Ave and some critical improvements at multiple pinch-points along the corridor.

Simultaneously, Wilson is following through on a campaign promise to expedite affordable housing and expand shelter options for the unhoused. Executive Order 2026-02 creates a interdepartmental Housing & Shelter Accelerator" team spanning eight city agencies which will begin work immediately and provide recommendations to the Mayor's office by March. The order tasks the team with figuring out how to expedite new emergency shelters and affordable housing, where it might be built, and how to provide adequate behavioral health support to those sites.