Route 7 - Transit-Plus Multimodal Corridor

November 30, 2023

Keeping buses moving and improving transit access on Rainier Ave S

We completed our work on Route 7 on Rainier Ave S, one of Seattle’s busiest bus routes! People traveling in and through the Rainier Valley will now see improved street and sidewalk infrastructure such as new bike and pedestrian crossings as well as increased accessibility to bus service.

Project Background

The Route 7 is one of the highest-ridership routes in Seattle, serving over 11,000 daily riders to a wide variety of destinations including schools, community centers, grocery stores, homes, and parks. And while Route 7 buses are scheduled to come every 10 minutes or better throughout most of the day, street conditions can cause delays.

We wanted to keep what people already love about the 7 and make it easier to connect to Link light rail, the Metro Transit Center, and beyond. To do this, we made improvements to sidewalks, crossings, signals, and installed ADA compliant curb ramps.

Project Overview

Building off the input we received from the community in 2018 and 2019, final designs were completed in 2021 and improvements made as a part of this Transit-Plus Multimodal Corridor project included improvements for people walking, biking, and rolling on Rainier Ave S. For more detail about the improvements in the your area, check out the maps and descriptions below.  

Project Map

Key Areas of Improvements

Southbound Bus-Only Lane on Rainier Ave S 
A bus-only lane was added to the southbound side of Rainier Ave S between S Bayview St and S Forest St.  

Rainier Ave S and S Charles St

Improvements at this intersection included: 

• Adding new ADA curb ramps at the intersections of Rainier Ave S and S Dearborn and S Charles streets
• Repairing sidewalks along stretches of Rainier Ave S and S Dearborn and S Charles streets
• Repairing driveways along the east and west sides of Rainier Ave S to improve sidewalk accessibility 

Rainier Ave S and I-90

Improvements at Rainier Ave S and I-90.

At this intersection of Rainier Ave S and the I-90 off ramp, we made significant upgrades to make crossings safer, including: 

• Adding new ADA curb ramps
• Repairing sidewalks at the intersection and on the west side of Rainier Ave S
• Installing a new crosswalk on the north side of the Rainier Ave S and I-90 off ramp intersection 

Rainier Ave S and 21st Ave S

Upgrades to this intersection included:

• Installed new ADA curb ramps on the northeast corner of the intersection
• Installed new concrete in the roadway on the north side of the intersection

Rainier Ave S and S Walden St

Improvements at this intersection included building bike infrastructure to make bike crossings safer. We: 

• Built bike ramps at the north and south sides of the intersection
• Painted green bike crossing markings through the intersection

Improvements also included: 

• Building new curb ramps
• Repairing sections of sidewalk on Rainier Ave S and S Walden St
• Repairing pavement in the street
• Upgrading the traffic signal for protected left turns to reduce driver and pedestrian conflicts
• Increasing the leading pedestrian interval push buttons timing
• Repairing driveways to improve sidewalk accessibility 

Rainier Ave S and S Brandon St

Similar to improvements at S State St, we built upgrades to make crossings shorter for people walking, rolling, and biking. Upgrades at this intersection included: 

• Building curb bulbs with ADA curb ramps to make crossing shorter and safer
• Repairing the sidewalk on the south side of S Brandon St next to City Teriyaki
• Refreshing existing crosswalk and stop bar paint
• New concrete in the roadway on the west side of the intersection 

Rainier Ave S and S Findlay St

We'd previously made improvements to this intersection, including painting and installing curb posts in the median to protect people crossing the south, east, and west sides of the intersection. As part of our work, we refreshed the existing paint and posts. Additional improvements included: 

• Building new curb ramps on all four corners of the intersection
• Repairing sidewalk on the south side of S Findlay St and the northwest side of Rainier Ave S
• Refresh existing paint/post curb bulbs and median 

Other Projects Along Rainier

Our project team coordinated with following projects:

• Rainier Improvements
• MLK Protected Bike Lane
• Accessible Mt Baker
• Sound Transit Judkins Park Station 
• Metro RapidRide R Line 

Project History

The 2015 Levy to Move Seattle included funding to complete 7 transit plus multimodal corridor projects, redesigning major streets with more frequent and reliable buses, upgraded paving, signals and other improvements to improve connectivity and safety for all travelers, whether walking, biking, driving, or taking transit. Route 7 is one of these corridors.  

Upgrading the Route 7 to RapidRide R Line was also included in the 2016 Transit Master Plan Update and the 2017 Metro Connects Long-Range Plan, and requires partnership between SDOT and King County Metro. SDOT is responsible for making improvements to the street, sidewalks, and infrastructure for people walking, biking, rolling, and driving. We're making these improvements to improve bus reliability and access for people using transit.  

Unfortunately, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic reduced revenue and required Metro to pause RapidRide R Line. They are exploring ways to resume this project as soon as possible. Visit the RapidRide R Line webpage for more information. 

Community Outreach

Early 2020: Metro Open houses
Participated in open houses in coordination with King County Metro RapidRide R Line

July 2019: In-person surveys
Conducted surveys with the businesses on and near Rainier Ave S between S Massachusetts St and S Bayview St to learn more about delivery and customer access to help inform potential bus lanes on Rainier.

June 2019: Stakeholder briefing
Move Seattle Levy Oversight Committee

May 2019: Stakeholder briefing
Seattle Transit Advisory Board

March-April 2018: In-person surveys

• Chinatown-International District Community Center
• King Donuts
• Rainier Community Center
• Viet Wah Asian Supermarket
• Asian Counseling and Referral Service
• Rainier Farmers Market
• Asian Counseling and Referral Service
• Bush Apartments
• Easter Hotel
• Nihon Terrace
• Ling King Tin Ye Association
• All Family Association
• Pop-ups at various locations including libraries, mini-marts, and apartment complexes

March-April 2018: Stakeholder briefings

• Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board
• Seattle Pedestrian Advisory Board
• Seattle Freight Advisory Board
• King County Transit Advisory Committee
• Transportation Choices Coalition and Puget Sound Sage

March 19-April 14, 2018: Online open house
Conducted online open house and survey to collect input on detailed concept options; Notifications included a mailer to 40,000 addresses, listserv emails, media, and emails and phone calls to community groups; Online and paper surveys were translated into Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Somali, Amharic, Khmer, Omoro, and Tigrinya.

2017: Early planning outreach
Shared the initial RapidRide plans and timeline in partnership with other SE Seattle projects (included a mailer, open house, community conversations, and social media)