Welcome
The Seattle Department of Transportation and King County Metro are partnering together to bring RapidRide to Delridge Way SW.
In collaboration with King County Metro, we’re working to make Delridge Way SW a better bus street. Since 2015 we have been working with community members to incorporate feedback on street design and upgrades to Route 120 into the RapidRide H Line. RapidRide H Line will connect the Delridge neighborhood with faster, more frequent transit service to Downtown Seattle, South Lake Union and Burien while providing connections to other buses and Link light rail. We appreciate your involvement.
What's happening now?
Construction has started for the Delridge Way SW - RapidRide H Line project. Construction started in June 2020 and will last through 2022. During this time our outreach team will continue to connect with local organizations and businesses about upcoming work and notify the community with email updates for what work to expect. Construction timelines are always subject to change, but we will continue to provide updates if and when stakeholders will be impacted.
To learn about the latest construction updates, sign up for our email updates and view our email update archive.
Español | Que puede esperar durante la construcción
Tiếng Việt | Những gì xảy ra trong lúc xây dựng
Soomaali | Maxaad filan kartaa waqtiga dhismuhu socodo
Tagalog | Anong maaasahan sa panahon ng construction
አማርኛ | ስለፕሮጀክቱ እና በግንባታ ውስጥ ምን እንደሚጠበቅ የበለጠ ይረዱ።
Afaan Oromo | Yeroo ijaarsaatti wantota eegaman
The closure of the West Seattle High-Rise Bridge has significantly impacted the way people move through West Seattle in recent months. As we continue to make on the ground improvements to keep people moving now, we will also continue to invest in long-term projects that help us build an even stronger, connected, and more livable West Seattle. It is critical that we implement both short- and long-term improvements while we simultaneously pursue all options available to reopen the high-rise bridge, which is why we are moving forward with this much-needed project along Delridge Way SW to add a new rapid transit line, improve safety, enhance bike infrastructure, and repair roads in poor condition.
We know this is a challenging time for all in and around West Seattle with the high-rise bridge closed and with the critical use restrictions placed on the Spokane Street Low Bridge. There is no perfect time to start a project, but now is the time to leverage this closure to build greater capacity and mobility so that when the bridge does reopen and as the RapidRide comes online, West Seattle can move forward, full steam ahead, stronger than ever before.
Construction began in June 2020 and is scheduled to wrap up in 2022. As we continue through construction, we will provide advance notice of work happening text messages, website updates, and email updates. Please sign up for our email updates to stay up to date on project progress and upcoming impacts.
On this online engagement site, you can:
- Learn about project benefits
- View the final design
- See how the RapidRide H Line project has incorporated community feedback
- Learn about construction beginning this summer
How to use this site:
- Click the + button to see more information
- Click on hyperlinked text to open new pages or to display pop-up info boxes
At the City of Seattle, we are continuing to follow guidance from federal, state, and local leaders and our public health partners regarding COVID-19. State officials have determined that work on public works projects can continue during the Governor’s stay-at-home order provided that appropriate safety measures are in place.
The Seattle Department of Transportation is continuing with essential transportation (public works) projects to the greatest extent practicable during these times. The health and safety of our workers and the public is our first priority. Our contractors have updated their Health and Safety Plans to incorporate best management practices with respect to COVID-19 throughout our construction work sites. If a situation arises where a contractor is unable to maintain these practices on a work site, or Gov. Inslee orders that work on public works projects must stop, the contractor shall temporarily suspend work until the work can be performed safely and legally.
We will notify you if there are any changes to the project schedule or planned work.
You can learn more about COVID-19 at kingcounty.gov/covid.
COVID-19 business resources
- Federal Small Business Administration
- Disaster loans
- Seattle local restaurants that are open for takeout and delivery
Arts and culture
Social services
- COVID-19 Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Human Trafficking Resources
- Utility Discount Program Fast Track Enrollment Details & Online Application Form
- Seattle Public Schools Closures | FAQ about school closures and meal site locations
Links to additional resources are available at: seattle.gov/mayor/covid-19
Translations
Stay connected
- Email us at DelridgeTransit@seattle.gov
- Sign up for email updates
- Call us at (206) 775-8739
- Visit the project website
- Text DELRIDGE to 33222 to receive project alerts
West Seattle High-Rise Bridge Safety Project
We are aware of the significant impacts to West Seattle and are working in coordination with the West Seattle High-Rise Bridge Safety Project. If you have any questions about this project, please contact:
Phone: 206-684-7623
Email: 684-Road@seattle.gov
Project overview
Making Delridge Way SW a better street
RapidRide H Line is designed to meet the following goals:

Provide transit service to support employment growth
By 2035 RapidRide H Line will serve 187,000 employees in the project neighborhoods

Improve transit travel time and reliability throughout the corridor
RapidRide H Line will provide up to 10-15% time savings compared to Route 120

Reduce overcrowding of existing bus capacity
Buses will come more frequently and will serve 7,100 new daily boardings by 2035

Improve pedestrian and bicycle safety and connections to transit
Upgraded pedestrian facilities and new bike facilities are included throughout the project corridor

Reduce GHG emissions
RapidRide H Line will help promote use of alternative modes of transportation to driving alone
Listen to our presentation
Listen to a presentation from Dan Anderson, Communications and Outreach Lead for the Delridge Way SW - RapidRide H Line project.
2024 Seattle transit-plus multimodal network map

RapidRide H Line project benefits
- Buses come at least every 10 minutes during busiest hours, providing service between Burien, White Center and Downtown Seattle
- Connections to key downtown destinations and transit services like Link and other RapidRide lines
- Enhanced connections to Neighborhood Greenways near Delridge Way SW
- This project will improve sidewalks throughout the project area
- Curb ramps will be upgraded to meet ADA requirements
- Includes repaving and pavement overlays throughout Delridge Way SW
For transit
RapidRide H Line service is so frequent you don’t need a schedule with:
- 24/7 service and more buses at night and on weekends
- Buses come at least every 10 minutes during busiest hours
- Reduces transit travel time by up to 10-15%
Project elements that enhance travel times
- RapidRide upgrades such as all-door boarding speed up boardings by around 20% and station optimizations keep buses moving while reducing the impacts to general traffic
- Bus-only and bus access lanes allow buses to bypass general traffic in locations in the project area
- Business access and transit (BAT) lanes reduce congestion from right-hand turns
- Separating people biking and parallel parking from general traffic allows everyone to move more safely and efficiently
- Smarter traffic signals streamline and optimize traffic movements
- Increased transit ridership reduces the number of cars on the road
- RapidRide H Line includes 52 new RapidRide stations, 26 in each direction between 3rd Ave in downtown and the Burien Transit Center
- Real-time arrival information
- All-door boarding
- Benches
- Pedestrian-level lighting
- 12-foot bus shelter canopy
- Signature signposts and route information maps
- All stations meeting Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
About King County Metro RapidRide
Key features of King County Metro RapidRide
Convenient and easy to use
- Service that starts early and runs late, everyday
- Buses come at least every 10 minutes during busiest hours
- All-door boarding
- Riders with mobility aids can secure themselves easily
Safe and smart
- Stations have real-time arrival signs
- Transit signal priority synchronizes traffic lights with buses
- Shelters are well lit and buses have security cameras
Move more, stop less
- Stop-optimization helps speed up your ride
- Street and traffic improvements make it easier to get to/from the bus
Community engagement to date
In the last 4 years, the project has engaged the public with:
- Over 20 open houses and drop in sessions
- 6 online open houses and surveys
- 5 project mailers sent to over 9,000 addresses each
- Over 20 briefings with local schools and businesses
- Translated fact sheets into Arabic, Vietnamese, Spanish and Somali
- Translated phone calls to self-identified businesses with language needs
Bus stops

Final design
Community priorities we heard and incorporated into the design:
"Fix potholes and bad pavement"
- We’re planning to pave between the West Seattle Bridge and SW Orchard St and make minor repairs in the rest of the corridor
"Make buses faster and more frequent"
- We’re extending the northbound bus only lanes to reduce traffic
- Added transit priority signals to keep buses moving
"Reduce speeding and create a neighborhood feel"
- We're adding new crosswalks and flashing beacons to improve pedestrian safety
- Pedestrian walk signals will be timed to give people walking a head start at intersections
- Flowering planters will be added to create a neighborhood feel
"We value the bus as a neighborhood connector"
- We’ve worked with Metro to have RapidRide stations about 1/3 mile apart instead of 1/2 mile apart
"We want safer and more accessible options for people biking"
- We are improving wayfind signage, adding speed bumps, and repainting channelization along 26th Ave SW.
- Traffic diverters have been included at SW Genesee St and SW Brandon St along the 26th Ave SW neighborhood greenway.
- We are also creating a new neighborhood greenway along 18th Ave SW by SW Myrtle St to avoid the staircase on 17th Ave SW.
Compare existing and future conditions
To view the existing or future cross-sections that are typical for each project area, drag the blue button to the left or right. Please note that the cross-sections are typical for each project area and may not be representative of the entire corridor length.
Area A: SW Andover St – SW Alaska St


Design updates between: Genesee and Brandon
- Pavement restoration was reduced on Delridge Way SW between SW Andover St and SW Genesee St to avoid tearing up new concrete when Sound Transit builds the Delridge Link light rail station
- Removed median from SW Andover St to SW Dakota St to avoid the need to remove new medians, landscaping, and irrigation when Sound Transit builds the Delridge Link light rail station
View the channelization plans (2.4 MB PDF) and the paving plans (4.6 MB PDF) for this area.


Existing
Future
Area B: SW Alaska St – SW Hudson St


Design updates
- Added an emergency median cut-thru for Seattle Fire Department in the long island north of SW Hudson St
- Included median islands to prevent tree roots from growing into existing Seattle Public Utility (SPU) pipes
View the channelization plans (849 kb PDF) and the paving plans (1.9 MB PDF) for this area.
Area C: SW Hudson St – SW Juneau St


Design updates:
- Landscaped median to replace center turn lane
View the channelization plans (2.2 MB PDF) and the paving plans (4.5 MB PDF) for this area.
Area D: SW Juneau St – SW Myrtle St


Design updates:
- Added southbound protected bike lane with buffer
- 24/7 RapidRide transit only lane in select locations
View the channelization plans (3.1 MB PDF) and the paving plans (5.5 MB PDF) for this area.
Area E: SW Myrtle St – SW Holden St


Design updates:
- Added southbound protected bike lane with buffer
- 24/7 RapidRide transit only lane in select locations
- Speed limit reduced to 25 mph in compliance with citywide Vision Zero initiative to lower arterial speed limits
- Painted curb bulbs added on the east legs of 21st Ave SW and SW Croft St at Delridge Way SW to reduce the intersection footprints and improve pedestrian safety
- A northbound left-turn lane into SW Webster St and a small refuge island for eastbound Webster traffic turning left onto Delridge Way SW
- Moved the northbound RapidRide station at SW Thistle St from the northeast corner to the southeast corner of the intersection to avoid a large existing Seattle City Light (SCL) vault
View the channelization plans (2.2 MB PDF) and the paving plans (4.5 MB PDF) for this area.
Area F: SW Holden St – SW Cambridge St


Design updates:
- The northwest corner of this intersection will include a protected bike lane raised to curb height along the island to improve visibility for people biking.
- Planter strip added along the south side of SW Barton St at the Delridge Way SW intersection to add more protection for the sidewalk.
- Altered tree planting locations in the proposed median islands to prevent tree roots from growing into existing Seattle Public Utility (SPU) pipes.
- Added water quality facilities at SW Holden St and SW Thistle St where existing facilities are undersized and do not meet code.
View the channelization plans (4.7 MB PDF) and the paving plans (11.5 MB PDF) for this area.
Corridor wide design updates:
- Changed concrete curbs separating northbound and southbound traffic with painted stripes at most intersections to allow better navigation of emergency vehicles and improve emergency response routing.
Detail maps
The Delridge Way SW - RapidRide H Line project includes a variety of design updates to the project corridor, including pedestrian, parking, transit, bike, paving, water and sewer details. Click on the images below to enlarge the detail maps.
Preparing for construction
The RapidRide H Line project is currently in construction with a variety of different demolition, paving, storm work, and other activities happening along the corridor. We realize that construction is impactful, and we want to make sure you - especially those who live, work, or travel on Delridge Way SW - know what to expect as this work continues into 2022.
Prior to bringing on the contractor for this project, we put some guidelines in place to minimize the construction impacts the community is likely to experience. These guidelines came from over 4 years of community engagement with organizations and people living on or near Delridge Way SW. Some of those considerations include:
- Receiving advanced notice from our contractor about upcoming residential driveway closures to translate information for residents
- Reducing or limiting work around holidays and cultural festivals such as Tet festival, Friday's during Ramadan in the Southern corridor, and Holy Week
- Installing temporary crosswalks across Delridge Way SW in areas where sidewalks will be closed for extended periods of time. Temporary crossings will be lit, painted markings on the street, and ADA accessible
- Coordinating utility work near Louisa Boren K-8 around school drop off and pick up time
- Emphasizing a "good neighbor" policy for the contractor, which includes site cleanliness and staging area considerations
What type of work will occur during construction and what to expect?
Generally, we anticipate construction work to be on weekdays between 7 AM and 7 PM. Construction impacts may include:

Periodic traffic detours

Vehicle lane shifts around work zones

Some full closures of major intersections

Pedestrian and bicycle detours around the work

Flaggers to help direct traffic

Temporary bus detours and bus stop relocations
Dates when work is restricted
No work on Friday’s South of SW Barton St during Ramadan
- April 12 to May 11, 2021
- April 2 to May 1, 2022
No evening work or intersection closures during Holy Week
- March 28 to April 3, 2021
- April 10 to April 16, 2022
No weekend work during Tet celebration / Lunar New Year
Delridge Day
- Date to be determined
Additional community events such as Arts in Nature, The Finding the True Cross, and Healthy Kids Day
Stay connected
- Email us at DelridgeTransit@seattle.gov
- Sign up for email updates
- Call us at (206) 775-8739
- Visit the project website
- Text DELRIDGE to 33222 to receive project alerts
We will be demolishing and removing parts of the existing Delridge Way SW roadway to build a new road. Most of this work will take place north of SW Orchard St. There is some work south of SW Orchard St. Review this map for more details
Removal typically includes:
- Breaking and jackhammering the existing pavement or concrete
- Excavating the broken debris
- Carrying away the debris
What to expect:
- Vibrations nearby as we break up the cement or asphalt
- Loud noises
- Truck traffic to help carry out road debris
- Work to typically happen from 8 AM to 7PM
- Temporary parking restrictions for weeks at a time
- Some nighttime and weekend work to minimize traffic impacts

In partnership with SPU we will be making a few water utility improvements.
These include:
- Water main pipe replacements
- Deep sanitary main pipe replacement
- Storm water main pipe replacement
- Storm drains and drainage structure upgrades
- Water service pipes and fire hydrant replacements
What to expect:
- Excavation to install pipes from 6'-22' underneath roadway depending on the pipe
- Multiple temporary water shut offs in multiple locations. You will be notified in advance of any shutoffs
- Loud noise, dust, and vibrations
- Truck traffic
- Typical work hours from 7 AM to 7 PM
- Temporary parking restrictions for weeks at a time
- Some nighttime and weekend work to minimize traffic impacts

We will be grinding and overlaying new asphalt on a few sections on SW Delridge Way, the largest area being from the West Seattle Bridge to SW Genesee St.
This includes:
- Removing old asphalt with a grinding machine
- Repairing the base and subbase as needed, pave new asphalt
What to expect:
- You will NOT be able to go in or out of driveways or parking lots when the road is closed and paving is in process
- Paving may occur at night
- Temporary parking restrictions
- Some nighttime and weekend work to minimize traffic impacts
- Expect noise, tar-like odors, and large equipment
- Fresh pavement is hot, oily, and extremely sticky. Please keep off new pavement if you are walking, especially with dogs, as the oil and pavement can harm their feet and be difficult to remove from fur.
- Emergency vehicles will be provided access at all times
- If you have accessibility concerns or concerns about nighttime paving, please contact us right away

We will be demolishing and rebuilding much of the northern half of Delridge Way SW from SW Genesee St to SW Orchard St. At this time, we will rebuild the road base and then pave over top with asphalt or concrete. A similar type of work is done for rebuilding sidewalks and driveways. After installing the new road, sidewalk, or driveway, we will return to paint new striping on the road and install protected bike lanes as designed.
This includes:
- Street surface, base repair, and subbase as needed
- Sidewalks and curb ramps
- Painting new markings on the street
What to expect:
- Mutiple temporary closures of driveways to demolish, excavate, rebuild, and pave the road
- Traffic shifts on the road
- Right turn only for safety when lanes are excavated
- Loud noise, dust and vibrations
- Truck traffic
- Steel plates to access driveways where it is safe and feasible
- Typical working hours to be from 7 AM to 7 PM
- Temporary parking restrictions for weeks at a time
- Some nighttime and weekend work to minimize traffic impacts

Frequently asked questions during construction
Construction began in June 2020 and is expected to wrap up in 2022. We anticipate the H Line service to become operational in 2022.
Yes. Driveway restrictions needed for paving activities are typically short-term. We’ll notify you in advance of any driveway impacts.
Yes. We'll post signs indicating detour routes around work zones. Pedestrian access to homes and businesses will be maintained at all times.
When we are working near you, parking will be restricted 24/7 for the duration of the work. This means you will need to park in your driveway, on a side street, or farther up or down the corridor.
Bus stops will be temporarily relocated or closed during construction. To stay up to date about current bus stop closures and relocations, please sign up for Metro’s Rider Alerts to stay up to date. If a stop is relocated or a bus is detoured, signs will also be posted along the corridor.
For more answers to questions, review our FAQ document [PDF].
Stay Engaged
Stay informed by signing up for our email updates
Our email updates will share information on what is happening and what to expect during construction. You will continue to hear from us throughout construction. Sign up for email updates using our form.
Sign up for our urgent text updates
These updates will be the fastest way to keep you informed for upcoming intersection closures, pieces of work with high impacts, and changes on the corridor. Text "DELRIDGE" to 33222 to receive project alerts.
Please contact us with questions to: DelridgeTransit@seattle.gov or call our project hotline at 206-775-8739.
Visit the SDOT RapidRide H Line website or the King Country Metro RapidRide H Line website for more information.
Next steps
Project timeline

Please reach out if you have questions or concerns. Additionally, if you manage a property or run a business and would like a phone or video project briefing, please email DelridgeTransit@seattle.gov and we will be in touch to set something up.
We will continue to keep this website and our project website up to date with project information. Please look out for future email updates as we continue with construction.
Thank you, West Seattle!