The Seattle Department of Transportation and King County Metro are partnering together to bring RapidRide to Madison St

The Madison St project area is busy, dense, and still growing. We're making street improvements to Madison and Spring streets that will allow King County Metro to operate frequent and reliable RapidRide G bus service from Downtown to Madison Valley. 

Construction for the project is 50% complete!

We're working to make progress on construction as safely and efficiently as possible. Typical work hours are between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. We have obtained a noise variance to complete construction activities within allowable noise limits for work outside of these hours.

Click here to watch a short video about the project!

We're switching to monthly email updates!

As the RapidRide G Line project continues to see progress all along Madison St, our efforts to keep you informed of current and upcoming construction work will be changing. We are changing from weekly email updates to monthly email updates with information about what is coming in the following month.

Why? Construction is dynamic and schedules and activities often change. We also know people receive a lot of information all of the time, and we want to streamline and condense our construction information. A monthly email allows us to better capture all of the work that you can expect in your area and along the construction corridor and provide a big-picture look at the progress that has been made so far! We will send additional email updates as needed to keep you informed of any important construction updates in between monthly updates. We will also continue to contact individual properties of any construction impacts that may impact your building or access.  

And if you have a specific question or need to get a hold of us in the meantime, you can always contact us!

Phone: (206)484-2780

Email: MadisonBRT@seattle.gov

Information at your Fingertips

While we may not be sending as many emails moving forward, we will be keeping our website updated with the latest news and notes about what's happening in your area!  There you can find both driver and pedestrian detour maps, renderings of project designs, and resources for neighbors and residents.  Please visit our website to learn more about the project, and feel free to reach out to us directly with any further questions or concerns.

Visit seattle.gov/madisonbusrapidtransit

What we've been working on

For the last few months our crews have been hard at work replacing the watermain underneath Madison St. This work was necessary as the old watermain (which has now been replaced) was a century old!

Back in 1923, the population of Seattle was just over 300,000 residents, and city planners were installing underground piping to handle the comings-and-goings of the growing city's water supply. 

Watermain break at 12th Ave and Jefferson St (1923) Courtesy of the Seattle Municipal Archives

Now, 100 years later, Seattle Public Utilities removed the old watermain and installed a new one while the roadway was being replaced as a part of the RapidRide G Line project. 

Crews working in chilly conditions to install the new watermain

If you live nearby Madison St you may have experienced temporary water outages or after-hours construction activity and noise in your area. We are so grateful for your patience during this critical work. The good news is that we are nearly done with watermain work in Capitol Hill, and are just a couple of weeks away from finishing that work in Madison Valley.

Although it may not be museum-worthy, removing a piece of history from one of the busiest streets in the city is delicate work! Here's to the next 100 years!

Old streetcar rails sit next to the a new watermain valve

Check out our blog!

Read our latest blog post to learn about project progress, other major milestones, and to see what else we've accomplished so far!

Read Now

Events

The project outreach team will be at events throughout the summer to connect with people and talk about the project. Here’s a list of events where you can find us. We’ll continue to add to this list as other events are scheduled. We hope you stop by!

We’re joining King County Metro at outreach events for the Madison Street Area Bus Service Change Project. Metro wants your feedback on future bus route changes in the Madison Street area and is conducting a survey through May 8. Visit Metro’s webpage to take the survey and find a list of upcoming events. SDOT staff will be at the following Metro events:

• April 28, from 6 -7:30 PM Open House at Yesler Community Center (917 E Yesler Way)

Members of the outreach team will also be hosting pop-up tabling events in the coming months. Come swing by and say hi to us!

• May 3rd, from 1 - 3 PM Tabling Event at Trader Joes in Capitol Hill (1700 E Madison St, Seattle, WA 98122)

(Above) Map of the project area showing active work zones and bus stop closures/relocations. Please visit King County Metro's Transit Alert page for more information.

King County Metro bus stop closures or relocations

As construction activities continue, bus stops on the project corridor will temporarily close or relocate as needed. The map above shows known bus stop closures at this time. Bus stop closures and relocations change frequently. Visit our website to see... Please visit King County Metro's Transit Alert page for the most accurate and up to date information, and to sign up for alerts.

Transit Alerts

Detours and Closures

Eastbound E Madison St is closed between 12th and 14th Avenues through the spring

Eastbound traffic on E Madison St between 12th and 14th Avenues will continue to be detoured through the spring. Eastbound traffic is detoured to E Union St and 19th Ave (see map below).  

(Above) Eastbound E Madison St is closed between 12th and 19th Avenues. Eastbound traffic is detoured onto East Union St at 12th Avenue, before turning left at 19th Avenue and rejoining Madison St.

The south side of the intersection of 12th Ave and E Madison St will be closed the weekend of April 29.

Madison St will remain open during the upcoming closure. Drivers will not be able to access southbound 12th Ave from Madison St. People driving north on 12th Ave will not be able to access E Madison St. There will be a signed detour (see map below). The closure is expected to begin by 7 PM on Friday, April 28.

The north side of the intersection of 12th Ave and E Madison St is planned to close the weekend of May 13.

During this closure, 12th Ave will be local access only between E Pike St and E Madison St. This closure is expected by begin by 7 PM on Friday, May 12. 

(Above) The south side of the intersection of Madison St and 12th Ave will be closed. Northbound is detoured to 14th Ave, and southbound is detoured to Broadway.

10th Ave will be closed between Union St and Madison St while crews install a new stormwater retention tank.

E Seneca St will be local access only, and no crossing of 10th Ave via Seneca St will be possible. Sidewalks throughout the area will remain open (see map below). This closure is expected to last two months.

10th Ave is closed between E Union St and E Madison St. Sidewalks will remain open

Other closures and detours can sometimes occur due to unforeseen circumstances. We will send emails about any major closures and detours with specific information about closure impacts and traffic reroutes if they occur.

Sidewalk/Crosswalk closures and pedestrian detours:

We're working to keep sidewalks and crosswalks open as much as possible. People will notice barriers placed in the street that provide temporary walkways for pedestrians to move around construction areas. If a sidewalk or crosswalk is signed as closed, people should either follow the signed detour or the temporary walkway if one is provided. People should not walk in the road with traffic. Maps are available on our webpage that show areas where sidewalks and crosswalks are closed. These maps may not always capture every sidewalk and crosswalk closure, so please be mindful of signed closures and detours.

People walking in temporary walkway on Madison St in downtown.

What's Coming this Month

Construction schedules are subject to change. Expect daytime work from 7 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday with some night and weekend work. Follow posted signs and detours for safe access through construction zones.

The below information is based off of a preliminary schedule that is subject to change. Dates and times given here could shift due to a number of unforeseen circumstances. Please contact us via email or phone with any questions.

Downtown (1st Ave to 7th Ave)

• Roadway work will be taking place on Spring and Madison streets:
  • At the 1st Ave intersections during various weekends this month. See below for more details.
• Sidewalk work will be taking place: 
  • On Spring St:
    • In the northeast corner of 7th Ave intersection into next week.
  • On Madison St:
    • On the north sidewalk between 3rd and 4th Avenues into mid-May.
    • In the northwest corner of the 6th Ave intersection into mid-May. 
• Weekend work will be taking place:
  • At the intersection of Spring St and 1st Ave the weekends of May 6, 13, and 20. Roadways will remain open but this work will require crosswalk closures. Please follow all signed pedestrian detours.
  • At the intersection of Madison St and 1st Ave the weekends of May 13, 21, and 27. Roadways will remain open but this work will require crosswalk closures. Please follow all signed pedestrian detours.

First Hill (7th Ave to Broadway)

• Roadway work will be taking place on Madison St:
  • In the north side of the 8th Ave intersection into the second week of May.
• Sidewalk work will be taking place on Madison St:
  • On the north side of the 8th Ave intersection into the second week of May.
  • In the southeast corner of the 9th Ave intersection into the second week of May.
  • In the southwest corner of the Terry Ave intersection into the second week of May.
  • In the southeast corner of the Terry Ave intersection starting the third week of May.
  • On the south sidewalk between Minor and Summit Avenues starting the second week of May.

Capitol Hill (Broadway to 23rd Ave)

• Roadway work will be taking place on Madison St:
  • On the north side of the roadway between 12th and 13th Avenues into the second week of May.
  • On the south side of the 12th Ave intersection this weekend and on the north side of the 12th Ave intersection the weekend of May 13. See below for more details. 
  • On the south side of the roadway between 12th and 14th Avenues starting the third week of May.
  • On the north side of the 12th Ave intersection the weekend of May 13. See below for more details.
• Sidewalk work will be taking place on Madison St:
  • In the northeast corner of the 11th Ave intersection starting next week and continuing into mid-May
  • In the northwest corner of the 12th Ave intersection starting the second week of May.
  • In the northeast corner of the 16th Ave intersection starting next week and continuing into the second week of May.
  • The southeast corner of the 20th Ave intersection starting next week and continuing into mid-May.
• Weekend work will be taking place on Madison St:
  • On the south side of the 12th Ave intersection. Madison St will remain open during the upcoming closure. Drivers will not be able to access southbound 12th Ave from Madison St. People driving north on 12th Ave will not be able to access E Madison St. There will be a signed detour (see map above). The closure is expected to begin by 7 PM on Friday, April 28.
  • On the north side of the 12th Ave intersection starting by 7 PM on Friday, May 12 and continuing through the weekend. This work will be taking place at night.

Madison Valley (23rd Ave to MLK Jr Way)

• Watermain work continues in Madison Valley into mid-May. Residents can expect occasional water outages, and affected properties will be notified.* 
• Roadway work will be taking place on Madison St:
  
  • On the south side of the roadway between 25th and 26th Avenues the weekend of May 19. See below for more details.
  • On the south side of the roadway between 26th Ave and MLK Jr Way starting the second week of May.
• Sidewalk work will be taking place on Madison St:
  • On the south sidewalk between 23rd Ave and Denny into next week.
  • On the north side of the roadway between 23rd Ave and John St into the second week of May.
  • On the south sidewalk between John St and 25th Ave into the third week of May.
• Weekend work will be taking place on Madison St:
  • On the south side of the roadway between 25th and 26th Avenues starting the evening of Friday, May 19 through the weekend. This work will be taking place at night. 

* For any water related emergencies, please call Seattle Public Utilities' 24/7 Operations Response Center at 206-386-1800. For questions about water outages, visit SPU's Water Outage Map. For questions about how to prepare for a water outage, what to expect, or temporary discolored water after an outage, please visit SPU's Planning for Outages website. If you have questions or concerns about your water service before, during, or after an outage, please call SPU's 24/7 Operations Response Center at 206-386-1800.

Thank you Eugene!

Eugene on the job

Thanks for your patience during construction! If you have concerns about accessibility or other issues with construction, please send us your address, contact information, and concerns so we can better understand and work together throughout construction. You can complete our construction survey in English, Chinese (traditional), Korean, or Vietnamese or you can reach us at MadisonBRT@Seattle.gov or call (206) 484-2780. Want to learn more about the project?  Visit our website to see what Madison St will look like once the project is complete. Please share these weekly updates with others who may be interested and encourage people to subscribe on our webpage. If you would prefer not to receive future email updates, or if this email was forwarded to you and you'd like to subscribe, click on the links below to manage your email preferences. Thank you! Candace Goodrich – RapidRide G Line Outreach Lead MadisonBRT@Seattle.gov (206) 484-2780 seattle.gov/MadisonBusRapidTransit   Text “MADISON” to 33222 to sign up for project alerts via text

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