The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has finalized the street design concept for 35th Ave NE, based on current and future needs and with the goal of creating more options to safely get around the neighborhood.
A couple of months ago, representatives from SDOT attended our March Board of Trustees meeting to give an update on the 2018 Paving Project in Northeast Seattle. They also presented a preliminary design concept for the changes to 35th Ave NE.
On May 25, SDOT finalized the street design concept, which you can see here. The image on this page shows how sections of 35th Ave NE in Wedgwood will be affected.
Specifically, between NE 65th Street and NE 85th Street, the design concept includes:
- 5′ unprotected bike lane along the west side of 35th Ave NE
- 10.5′ south-bound travel lane
- 10.5′ north-bound travel lane
- 7′ parking next to the north-bound travel lane
- 2′ buffer
- 5′ protected bike lane along the east side of 35th Ave NE
Between NE 85th St and NE 89th Street, where 35th Ave NE is a bit more accommodating, the design concept expands to include wider bike lanes, parking, and travel lanes. It also includes parking and protected bike lanes on both sides of the street.
You can read more about the 35th Ave NE Paving Project on SDOT’s website.
Share your thoughts about the design and stay in the loop by subscribing to a project distribution list. SDOT will send emails with project updates and public engagement opportunities.
Questions? Email the project team at 35thAvePaving@seattle.gov or call (206) 615-0925.
July 31 Update: This is the anticipated project timeline, per SDOT’s project page.
| Date | Action |
| Summer/fall 2016 | Project planning and outreach |
| Spring 2017 | Street concept design and outreach |
| Summer 2017 | Begin design |
| Summer 2017 | Outreach to residents, businesses, and property owners |
| Fall 2017 | Finish design |
| Fall/winter 2017 | Pre-construction coordination with community |
| Winter 2018 | Begin construction |
| Fall 2018 | Complete construction |
This plan will hurt Wedgwood!! It will significantly decrease the safety of our neighborhoods and the safety of our children. It is also going to push people away from the businesses that are trying to survive. The city FAILED to look beyond the flow of the 35th NE street. There are now blocks and blocks of residential side streets that will be subjected to increased traffic and speeding cars. Glad it will be safe to walk on a busy, slow, and smoggy 35th but not safe on my own street. Our children will now have to be careful crossing a small neighborhood street in front of their house to visit a friend or walk to school. The city failed to engage the community. A small survey does not cut it. Conversations on blogs like Next Door clearly communicate that this plan is not wanted and that a cross section of the community was NOT involved. This is coming from someone that has tried to access information.
Hi Wendy, I’m curious and concerned!! How will this project make our children less safe!?
Will there be left-turn lanes at intersections?
This is insane! The plan for 35th Ave NE from 65th to 95th will result in MORE congestion on an already congested street, and pushing frustrated drivers onto side streets. That will result in danger to pedestrians, including the children who live on the side streets. It won’t encourage more biking, and will make buses slower than they are now.
As a cyclist myself, I can’t imaging riding on 35th in a bike lane. With the elimination of the peak time parking restrictions there will be no way for cars to safely get around those turning left, except to encroach on the bike lane.
What are you thinking?? There is already a dedicated bike path a few blocks away, the “Greenway” on 38th/39th Ave NE.
There was a “survey” of which many people were never notified. I did fill it out, as did as many of my neighbors who were aware of it. We have heard that 68% of respondents were opposed to this plan, and that those in favor thought it would be nice to bike to businesses on 35th. They can do that now.
This plan, if implemented, will further deteriorate quality of life in Seattle. I don’t see any rationale that would justify it. If there is one, please enlighten me.
Whatever outreach or notification of citizens you have done was woefully inadequate. In effect, this is being thrust upon us with no meaningful input from those most effected.
Construction has not started yet. You can still reconsider this, and I strongly urge you to do so.
Why will this plan increase congestion for drivers? The same number of lanes are available for cars? Thanks!
Are the lights being updated to handle left turns at 65, 75, 85? If not, this will be a dangerous mess since there is no middle turn lane in the proposal
The final concept design documents state that “Cross section illustrations are conceptual. Actual widths and street design at intersections will vary.” and “… adding bike lanes and left-turn pockets at arterials;”. It’s my understanding from this document that the intersections are going to be addressed, but the specifics have not yet been finalized.
Must this be done? Can’t see how I will be safer. Wonder where people will park. It is already ‘dog eat dog’ for parking near Starbucks.
I can’t figure out why the city is adding bike lanes but removing cross walks (as noted in another article in this newsletter). Now it will be even harder for pedestrians. And we outnumber bicyclists many times over
It is not clear to me why we are adding bike lanes to 35th, when we have just spent a lot of city money creating and greenway for bikes on 39thNE. The illustrations show cars and bikes, but the thing that is not shown is buses. Having buses and bike lanes on the same arterial does not seem like a good idea, unless you have a very wide arterial like Roosevelt and can create bus stops in the street. There is not enough room on 35th for this. So the buses either cross into the bike lanes to stop, or they stop in the one lane of traffic and load into the bike lanes. With buses coming every 10 min during peak traffic, and stopping traffic to load every few blocks, it seems this will create tremendous traffic congestion. Add to that the fact that I don’t see any left turn lanes, and I think traffic at peak travel times will slow to a crawl. As others have pointed out, this will just send more cars onto residential streets. I feel that a lot of feedback like this was given during the community meetings in 2016, but these plans do not seem to reflect any of these concerns.
No left turn lane?!?!?! Come on.. What about the Greenway on 39th that we all paid for? Now bikes are going to get 18′ of 35th and we don’t have a turn lane?!?!
This is rediculous! Talk about a total ludicrous idea. I never heard anything about this nor was any open forum advertised that I have been able to find. I already have a traffic problem on 33rd with kids being safe playing in the neighborhood and this will drive more people up to my street to escape the congestion this proposed idea is going to create. I have loved this neighborhood for 38 years, but this is just getting to the point I don’t want to live here anymore. The people that are making these suggestions and will have to deal with them don’t live here. They need to leave my neighborhood alone and go fix the traffic problems on I-5, 405, and places that need the attention, not adding a bike lane that doesn’t and won’t get used a whole lot, and making small traffic lanes with busses on them even smaller. Get a clue s-dot!
This is awesome. So stoked to be able to ride down 35th without getting tailgated by psycho’s who think Wedgwood = suburbia.
Dear Wendy and Barbara-
Do you have any basis (other than intuition) will cause congestion and push traffic to side streets? I have not read any studies that showed increased traffic on side streets as a result of road diets, but I do know that the similar work on 75th st both decreased travel times and increased traffic volumes, while substantially decreasing collisions and speeding. (a safer AND more efficient roadway). If you are worried about increased traffic on your side street, I would urge you to pursue the traffic calming program from SDOT designed to keep residential streets safe (bolstered by new 20 mph speed limits). I live on a street that people currently use to cut past a stop light (some at 35 mph), and my experiences on other nearby residential streets lead me to believe that none are safe any more, and that sociopaths will always find a way to behave irresponsibly. However, if this project makes 35th more efficient as intended, I would expect cut-through traffic to decrease.
As far as the effect on local businesses, a negative effect also seems unfounded. The data rather supports that bike lanes and increased pedestrian comfort boosts businesses, even if parking is removed. (eg, businesses on 65th st. west of I-5 had a 400% increase in revenue after bike lanes were installed).
I think the concerns about left turns and bus stops are well-founded though, but I agree with Chris H that we have to wait for an actual proposal on those topics before getting fired up.
Here are my sources:
An excellent summary of the impacts of road diets:
https://www.seattletransitblog.com/2017/04/06/when-common-sense-is-wrong-and-intuitions-fail/
75th street traffic data:
https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2015/03/19/after-ne-75th-st-safety-project-speeding-way-down-safety-way-up-traffic-delays-down/
Businesses on 65th:
https://www.seattletransitblog.com/2013/08/06/seattle-case-study-economic-impacts-of-bike-facilities/
SDOT traffic calming program:
http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/ntcp_calming.htm
As a business owner on 35th I find this very disturbing that we were not included in any discussions. I I think it will be harder for buses and traffic in general with two churches two schoolsa library and a post office this will affect so many people. THis is just another project that will cost a lot of money and just add gridlock and frustration. A streetcar or shuttle bus to the Uvillage and the light rail would be better option than more bike lanes. I really hope they rethink this and talk to people who regularly shop, eat, live and work in that area.
What good was Children;s Hospital spending money on the 39th street bike lanes? That money could have gone to research.
As a bicyclist, I much prefer extending the North-South route along one of the streets paralleling 35th. As a pedestrian, I would prefer that crosswalks be installed on 35th between intersections, as they have done on Lake City Way north and south of 125th street.
This will make our neighborhoods safer. More bikes means fewer cars on the road, less traffic, healthier people, better for the environment too. No more frustrated drivers stuck behind behind bicyclists.
Those of you talking about the safety of your kids on side streets-hey there are kids who live on 35th as well!
Businesses look at the research it will not hurt your business.
Please quite thinking selfishly about your own situation and support these improvements because it’s the right thing to do.
This is awesome! I live on 35th Ave NE. We need these improvements to make our neighborhood safer. There are always bicyclists passing my house and frustrated cars trying to zip around them. I’m glad my neighbor’s who bike will have a safe place to ride and I’m glad my neighbor’s who drive don’t have to get stuck behind slow bikers. Shame on the selfish businesses who are trying to stop this from happening. I won’t be going to those places any more!
Anne
I fully support the city plan.
Bike lanes and turn lane at 75th, small price to pay for loss of one parking lane.
In six months, nobody will have really noticed.
This is a great change
I don’t know… On the RARE occasion that I drive to work, I take the side roads because traffic is backed up for blocks on 75th.
It’s like no one at SDOT has ever heard of the WAZE app.
It doesn’t matter so much south of 85th street because there are sidewalks, but push those cars onto the side streets north of 85th and you’ll have problems.
Not to mention that the buses will fight with the cars.
People I know who ride bikes don’t use those bike lanes. They say they suck because they have to deal with the buses.