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What we heard from SDOT on Aurora Ave: recap of our October 7 meeting

On Wednesday, October 7, Christa Dumpys, SDOT’s communications and outreach lead for the Aurora Ave Project, and her colleague Jordan Hoy joined our general meeting at the Good Shepherd Center (Room 223) to walk us through the City’s long-term planning study for Aurora Avenue North. Here is what we learned, what neighbors had to say, and how you can weigh in.

Thank you to Christa and Jordan for coming to Wallingford, staying for a long round of questions, and offering to come back once SDOT has more traffic data. And thank you to everyone who came out and sent questions in advance.

The short version

  • Nothing is decided. SDOT is in Phase 2 of the study, which runs into 2028 and ends with one preferred design. Staff said construction is at least five years away and would likely happen in phases.
  • Our stretch keeps its lanes. South of Green Lake, every option keeps two general traffic lanes in each direction plus the bus lane.
  • The debate is north of Green Lake, where three of the four draft ideas would go to one general lane each way. SDOT said its next traffic study could show that a lane reduction there is not workable, and the state (WSDOT) has to approve the final design.
  • What could change for Wallingford: new signalized street-level crossings between Wallingford and Fremont, possible additional E Line stops, and the risk of more cut-through traffic if the north end is narrowed.

Background: why Aurora, and why now

Aurora Avenue North, also known as State Route 99, runs 7.6 miles through Seattle, from the tunnel near Queen Anne to the city limits at N 145th St. It carries the RapidRide E Line, the region’s highest-ridership bus route, and is vital for freight. SDOT calls it a top safety priority because of its high rates of serious injury and fatal crashes, especially for people walking. There are more than 30 blocks of missing sidewalks, long gaps between safe crossings, and few bike connections, and the City has not had a comprehensive plan for Aurora since 2003.

SDOT launched the Aurora Ave Project in 2022. Phase 1 gathered input from more than 9,000 people through surveys and workshops, produced four draft design ideas, and delivered some immediate safety upgrades. Phase 2 is now underway. Its job is to narrow those four ideas to one preferred design, with early engineering and cost estimates, so the City can pursue funding.

The four draft ideas

The ideas on the table are a walkable boulevard with wider sidewalks, center-running bus lanes, a protected bike connection, and an option that keeps today’s vehicle capacity. All four keep a bus lane and add continuous sidewalks. You can see them on SDOT’s Community Ideas Hub.

What it means for Wallingford

  • Aurora runs along Wallingford’s western edge and separates us from Fremont. What happens there affects how we cross it, how we catch the E Line, and how much traffic ends up on our own streets.
  • South of Green Lake, every option keeps two general traffic lanes in each direction. SDOT said options that reduced lanes on this stretch were dropped in Phase 1.
  • North of Green Lake, where the roadway is narrower, three of the four options would go to one general lane in each direction. SDOT said its next traffic study will look closely at traffic shifting onto neighborhood streets.
  • SDOT is studying new signalized street-level crossings of Aurora between Wallingford and Fremont, where there are none today. Staff have also heard requests for additional E Line stops near N 50th St and N 38th St.

What neighbors said

The room had strong opinions. The concerns we heard most:

  • Opposition to one lane each way north of Green Lake, given how much traffic Aurora carries, especially when I-5 is restricted.
  • Cut-through traffic on streets like Linden, Phinney, Greenwood, and Green Lake Way.
  • Whether bikes belong on Aurora at all, or on better-connected parallel routes such as the Fremont Ave N Neighborhood Greenway and the Interurban Trail.
  • Whether “no turn on red” is slowing buses, and what the safety data actually shows.
  • More and safer crossings, including near Green Lake and for families getting to B.F. Day Elementary.
  • Cost and schedule. SDOT said it does not yet have a construction cost estimate.

Safety work already done

SDOT also reviewed near-term changes on Aurora, which are separate from the long-range study: head-start walk signals, “no turn on red” signs, repainted crosswalks, hardened centerlines, and new median islands. So far these are at N 77th St and north, plus new bus lanes in Queen Anne. Bus lanes on Aurora are in effect around the clock during the Revive I-5 work.

How to stay involved

  • Contact the project team at aurorastudy@seattle.gov or (206) 905-3620.
  • Get SDOT’s project updates by email: sign up for the Aurora Ave Project newsletter.
  • Join SDOT’s Community Connector group, for people who want to stay involved, share feedback, and help keep their neighbors informed: sign up here.
  • Follow the Community Advisory Group. A 19-member group is advising SDOT and will meet 8 to 12 times over two years. SDOT told us its meetings are open to the public. The next one is Wednesday, December 2, 5 to 8 PM, at Evergreen Washelli. See the CAG page and SDOT’s announcement of the group. [CONFIRM: that the Dec 2 meeting is open to public observers.]
  • WCC is following up. We are sending SDOT the questions raised at the meeting and will share the answers here. [CONFIRM: have the follow-up questions gone to SDOT yet? Adjust wording if so.]

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