The planned extension of Seattle’s busiest bus corridor has hit a roadblock, temporarily put on hold after facing multiple delays and significant criticism from a city councilmember.
The extension aimed to expand existing bus-only restrictions along Third Avenue three blocks into Belltown, a change projected to save bus riders a remarkable 230 hours collectively each weekday, based on traffic modeling by the City of Seattle.
Initially promoted by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and King County Metro in early 2024, the construction was scheduled to begin the previous summer, coinciding with a repaving project in the area. However, following opposition from District 7 Councilmember Bob Kettle, who argued it would hinder revitalization efforts along Third Avenue, the project was delayed tentatively until after the 2026 World Cup.
Recently, city websites have removed all mentions of the project, and SDOT confirmed to The Urbanist that the transit priority extension into Belltown is “not advancing at this time.”
Emails obtained by The Urbanist indicate that both SDOT and King County Metro had previously outlined the rationale for the project, though they did not provide reasons for its cancellation. An internal SDOT presentation revealed that the concept of extending the Third Avenue transit mall was paused during the pandemic but was revived as traffic congestion in downtown Seattle returned.
As noted in the presentation, current transit delays are akin to pre-pandemic times, with buses experiencing 10-15 seconds of delay per trip. Proposed improvements were expected to reduce these travel times for over 80,000 riders daily.
Transportation officials emphasized the importance of high ridership buses using Third Avenue for traversing downtown, highlighting that the goal of the project was to minimize delays for essential transit routes, including Rapid Ride lines C, D, E, and H, which serve over 32,000 daily riders, as well as 23 other transit routes that connect various neighborhoods like Delridge, Roosevelt, Magnolia, South Lake Union, South Park, Queen Anne, Burien, and Ballard, totaling about 50,000 daily riders.
The data showcased that the proposed changes would result in a notable saving of 10 seconds per trip, accumulating to approximately 230 hours of daily time savings for the 83,000 weekday riders navigating that specific section of Third Avenue.
Should the changes have been implemented, drivers utilizing Third Avenue for local access would have been required to exit the street at the next block, with general traffic prohibiting left turns onto Third from westbound Lenora Street or eastbound Virginia Street.
Transit advocates have long campaigned for enhanced bus priority in this corridor, with calls dating back to 2018, where the Move All Seattle Sustainably (MASS) Coalition included Third Avenue to Denny Way in their campaign for extensive bus lane expansions.
While Third Avenue has been the focal point of the Downtown Activation Plan spearheaded by Mayor Bruce Harrell, the efforts have largely centered on enhancing public spaces rather than prioritizing transit improvements. High-profile commentators, including Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat, have critiqued the corridor’s transit priority, suggesting it contributes to existing issues, despite a lack of evidence linking these problems directly to transit policies.
Despite evident backing for the extension from SDOT and King County Metro, city decision-makers did not share the same enthusiasm. The Mayor’s Office has not commented on these developments to The Urbanist.
In June 2024, Councilmember Kettle, whose district encompasses Downtown Seattle, described the planned project as outdated. Despite this assertion, his office had access to 2023 ridership statistics showing daily usage surpassing 83,000 for routes that navigate Third Avenue.
Kettle remarked, “We cannot be, essentially, changing the facts on the ground with regard to bus service on Third Avenue, particularly the notion of extending into Belltown.” He advocated that the 2018 proposal was no longer relevant and was potentially regressive for transit in the city.
Internal SDOT documents from that time conveyed initial outreach feedback indicating that some businesses were concerned the changes would complicate accessibility and potentially affect revenue. Concurrently, officials noted doubts regarding the necessity of the project and the implications for local residents.
However, SDOT also referenced support from the Downtown Seattle Association communicated during a 2023 briefing, indicating some endorsement for transit priority enhancements.
Despite removing the project from the SDOT’s dedicated Third Avenue improvements website, the page continues to promote that extending bus-only hours on Third Avenue aligns with the Mayor’s Executive Order focused on climate justice in transportation.
Additionally, the project was excised from the Transit Spot Improvements page, which is now devoid of any listed initiatives beyond 2021.
As the focus remains on the upcoming 2026 World Cup, the debate over Third Avenue’s future has been placed on hold. The downtown business community is eager to reimagine the street and attract higher-end retailers.
The new Seattle Transportation Levy allocates $15 million for Downtown Activation, explicitly aiming to advance longer-term visions for Third Avenue.
At present, a clear picture of what that might entail remains elusive.
SDOT spokesperson Mariam Ali stated, “Transit improvements will be a key component of our vision for the corridor, and we will continue to explore opportunities for future planning and coordination as we move forward.”
King County Metro, when approached regarding the project’s reversal, refrained from criticizing the city. Metro spokesperson Elaine Porterfield commented, “Third Avenue continues to be Metro’s busiest bus corridor in our system. Metro and SDOT will keep partnering on projects to improve speed and reliability, and we look forward to ongoing collaboration and future changes once the SDOT paving work is complete.”
image source from：https://www.theurbanist.org/2025/06/17/axed-downtown-seattle-transit-upgrade-would-have-benefited-80000-daily-riders/
