 Our RapidRide J Line project upgrade streets, sidewalks, pedestrian ramps, streetlights, and traffic signals. We are also adding protected bike lanes, replacing the water main on Eastlake Ave E, and creating new dedicated bus lanes. To further improve transit efficiency, we’ll provide priority signals for buses throughout the corridor and implement a faster boarding process to reduce impacts on traffic.
These upgrades will balance the needs of people traveling to and between neighborhoods, support our local businesses, and create transportation options for our ever-changing city. They’ll also make it easier for you to access housing and help create safer, more connected neighborhoods for everyone. You can download maps of the final project using this link.
 Crews remove old pavement from Eastlake Ave E.
RapidRide J Line
Here’s what is included in this email update:
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University District Construction
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Fairview Ave N Construction
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Construction Pause During the FIFA World Cup
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Participate in Eastlake Business Bingo!
We continue to make steady progress on the project. Drainage and water main work on Eastlake Ave E has been completed, and we are now advancing toward finishing the new street surface in 2026.
To complete all of our work on time, you’ll notice us working in many locations at once. Our work involves heavy machinery, loud noises, vibrations, and dust. We usually work from 7 AM to 5 PM, but we may start as early as 4 AM to allow enough time for the new concrete to cure. We may also need to work weekends and nights to complete certain activities.
Bike Everywhere Day!
Our team set up two booths in Eastlake for the Lime bike and scooter helmet giveaway. If you missed us, we’ll return later in the summer for another giveaway!
Thank you to everyone who participated in the RapidRide J Line team’s Lime bike and scooter helmet giveaway this week! We distributed more than 75 helmets and swag items to attendees. If you’re riding a bike or scooter, stay safe by wearing a helmet!
The team answered residents' questions about Eastlake Ave E’s new bike lanes.
The project team will be back in Eastlake on Wednesday, May 13, from 7 AM to 9 AM for Bike Everywhere Day! We’ll join Fred Hutch Cancer Center at their celebration station in the Vessel Traffic Circle off Ward St. While we won’t have any helmets, we will be handing out fun RapidRide swag and answering questions about the project. More information on Bike Everywhere Day celebration stations can be found on Cascade Bicycle Club’s website.
University District Construction
Electrical and sidewalk work in the University District
Crews are continuing electrical and sidewalk work on the east side of Roosevelt Way NE between NE 42nd St and NE 41st St. They are digging trenches, installing electrical conduits and wiring, and restoring the sidewalks.
We are coordinating with businesses and residents to maintain access. If you are driving through the work zones, one lane will remain open. If you are using the sidewalk, please follow the signs and directions from crews.
Bus stop construction at NE 41st St
Crews install foundations and wires for a new RapidRide J Line bus stop in the University District.
You will notice significant progress with our work on the northbound RapidRide J Line bus stop at the intersection of NE 41st St and Eastlake Ave NE, near 11th Ave NE. Next week, we expect to finish installing new underground electrical wires and begin building the stop’s concrete foundation. Throughout this work, we will shift traffic to the west side of the street. Please follow the signs and directions from crews if you are using the sidewalk.
Eastlake Construction
The map above shows where we are working in the Eastlake neighborhood.
Street closures in Eastlake
As shown on the map above, we have closed several areas in Eastlake for equipment storage and construction activities. The areas experiencing closures include:
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The east side of Eastlake Ave E between Harvard Ave E and E Allison St.
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The west side of Eastlake Ave E between E Shelby St and E Edgar St.
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E Hamlin St on the west side of Eastlake Ave E: A flagger will direct traffic during the day. One lane of E Hamlin St will be closed at night.
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E Galer St on the east side of Eastlake Ave E: The eastbound lane will be closed as early as Monday, May 11. Later in the week, we will fully close the street.
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The west side of Eastlake Ave E between E Lynn St and E Boston St.
Sidewalk work along Eastlake Ave E
Along with new sidewalks, we added new concrete parking stops to the parking lot near Imperia Lake Union.
As paving progresses on Eastlake Ave E, crews are beginning to focus on sidewalk replacement and installing new accessible pedestrian ramps. This work is occurring in several locations:
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Southeast corner of E Galer St and Eastlake Ave E
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Northeast corner of E Galer St and Eastlake Ave E (starting as early as May 14)
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Southwest corner of E Lynn St and Eastlake Ave E (starting as early as May 11)
To complete work on the southeast corner of E Galer St, we will close the eastbound lane of E Galer St as early as Monday, May 11. Once work begins on both corners, we will temporarily close both directions of E Galer St on the east side of Eastlake Ave E.
For all sidewalk work, we will need to temporarily close sections of sidewalk and direct pedestrians and people on bikes around the work areas or to the opposite side of the street. Additionally, we may need to close the right lane of Eastlake Ave E near each work area. Please follow all signs and instructions from crews.
Paving work progresses along Eastlake Ave E
Crews smooth out the ground before pouring new concrete on top.
We are making significant progress building a new, smooth, long-lasting concrete street along Eastlake Ave E. Our crews are actively demolishing, preparing, and pouring new concrete in several areas:
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Between E Shelby St and E Edgar St: We are continuing to demolish the west side of Eastlake Ave E. We expect to begin pouring new concrete at the end of May.
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The intersection of Eastlake Ave E and E Hamlin St: Demolition and paving on the west side of the intersection will begin as early as May 11. Crews will work on the northwest and southwest corners at different times. During the day, flaggers will direct traffic through the open corner while work is underway on the other. At night, one lane of E Hamlin St will be closed. Please follow all detour signs.
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Between E Edgar St and Louisa St: We will begin demolition on the west side of Eastlake Ave E as early as May 11.
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Between E Lynn St and E Newton St: We are continuing to pour new concrete on the west side of Eastlake Ave E.
- Starting this Friday, crews will demolish the street in front of the Cortina Apartment’s driveway. We will pour and cure new concrete over the weekend and reopen the area by Monday morning.
- Starting as early as Monday, May 11, crews will begin building the foundations for several signal poles at the Eastlake Ave E and E Lynn St intersection corners. This work will require us to drill several feet into the street before pouring new concrete to form each foundation. Nearby sidewalks will remain open during our work, but you can expect crosswalk closures, dust, vibrations, and noise.
 One side of Eastlake Ave E is kept open for traffic while crews work on the other.
 Crews continue to make progress paving new sections of Eastlake Ave E.
Fairview Ave N Construction
Updating the South Lake Union Streetcar's power supply
From the night of Saturday, May 16, to the morning of Sunday, May 17, we will be working on Fairview Ave N to update the power supply to the South Lake Union Streetcar. This electrical work will take place outside of the streetcar's service hours, and we do not expect it to impact operations when the streetcar opens at 10 AM on Sunday morning.
Crews prepare to pour new concrete and widen the west side of Fairview Ave N near Fred Hutch.
One southbound lane of Fairview Ave N remains closed as we widen the west side of Fairview Ave N between Eastlake Ave E and Valley St. Over the next few weeks, we will pour concrete between Yale Ave N and Aloha St. Some of these pours will start as early as 4 AM during weekdays and Saturdays. We may work beyond 10 PM at times to make cuts into the new concrete for expansion. Though crews will perform night and weekend work, the most impactful noise will end before 10 PM.
The sidewalk on the west side of Fairview Ave N will remain closed. Between Eastlake Ave E and Aloha St, a multi-use path will be provided for pedestrians and cyclists. If you are riding your bike, please dismount and walk through the construction area using this path. South of Aloha St, signage will direct pedestrians and cyclists to use the crosswalk on the east side of Fairview Ave N.
As we work on Fairview Ave N, some King County Metro bus stops may be impacted. We encourage you to visit their website and the Route 70 page for more information. During this work, we do not impact the Seattle Streetcar.
Fairview Ave N intersection paving work
Over the next few weeks, crews will pave several intersections on the west side of Fairview Ave N.
At the Fairview Ave N and Aloha St intersection, crews are replacing panels of the north side of the intersection to make sure that they align with the City’s street regulations. Demolition work began this morning, May 8. We will pour and cure new concrete over the weekend and reopen the area on Monday morning. Next weekend, we will follow a similar schedule and finish paving the south side of the intersection.
As early as Monday, May 11, crews will begin paving the intersection of Fairview Ave N and Yale Ave N. Work is expected to take several weeks.
For both intersections, a flagger will be available around the clock to maintain access to the frontage road and Fairview Ave N businesses.
Construction Pause During the FIFA World Cup
From June 10 to July 6, the RapidRide J Line team will pause construction activities during the FIFA World Cup. During this time, crews do not plan to perform any construction work.
To prepare for the pause, crews will remove construction materials and equipment from the project area. Some barriers, signs, and cones may remain in place to help keep construction zones safe and accessible during the World Cup.
Participate in Eastlake Business Bingo!
Looking for a fun way to support your favorite Eastlake businesses and discover new ones along the way? Back by popular demand, 33 businesses are participating in this year’s Eastlake Business Bingo. The businesses invite you to grab your bingo card at any participating business and start playing.
Eastlake businesses are providing prizes for various bingo scenarios, such as completing your card or finishing the outer square.
For more information about the game, contact Lisa Wojnar from Otter Bar and Burger at jimeniinc@gmail.com or text (425) 246-9359.
How to Stay Informed
Project Emails and Website
If you’re receiving this newsletter in your email, then you’ve signed up for our weekly project emails! This is one of the best ways to stay informed about the latest updates and developments on the RapidRide J Line Project. We provide information about construction activities, timelines, and any changes affecting your neighborhood. We also include these updates and additional information on our project website every week. Please feel free to share the details of our website and project emails with friends, family, or anyone who might be interested in knowing more about this exciting project.
Weekly Online Open House
Every Thursday from 2 to 3 PM, residents and business owners have joined our online open house to connect with the project team and have their questions answered. You can join these meetings to share your thoughts, ask questions, or simply listen. We encourage everyone to join us and be part of the conversation. Your input truly makes a difference!
You can access the online meetings with the details below:
Meeting link
Meeting ID: 237 305 138 093
Passcode: mBSfNf
King County Metro’s Resources
King County Metro is responsible for maintaining Route 70 and other Metro buses during the RapidRide J Line’s construction. They handle all topics related to bus stops, signage, and associated notifications. For information on bus stop relocations during construction, we encourage you to visit their website, the Route 70 page, and sign up for Transit Alerts. You can also use Google Maps, which will post King County Metro’s rider alerts. If you have additional questions about a trip, their call center can be reached at (206) 553-3000 on weekdays between 6 AM and 6 PM.
Contact us
Our team is committed to keeping the community informed throughout the project. If you have any questions about our work, please feel free to email RapidRide@seattle.gov or call (206) 257-2202. We work directly with the contractor and our project partners to get your questions answered.
Communications and Outreach Lead
RapidRide@seattle.gov | (206) 257-2022
Need Translation?
For information on our work to upgrade the Route 70 bus route to a RapidRide bus line, in your language, please leave a voicemail in your preferred language at (206) 257-2202
Para obtener información en su idioma sobre nuestro trabajo para convertir la Ruta 70 del autobús a una línea RapidRide, llame al (206) 257-2202
若想通過您的語言了解有關 70 號公車路線升級為快速線 (RapidRide) 的工程資訊，請致電 (206) 257-2202
若想通过您的语言了解有关 70 号公交路线升级为快速线 (RapidRide) 的工程信息，请致电 (206) 257-2202
70번 버스 노선을 RapidRide 노선으로 업그레이드하기 위한 당국의 작업에 대한 정보를 귀하의 언어로 확인하려면 (206) 257‑2202로 전화하십시오
Route للحصول على المعلومات حول عملنا لتطوير مسار الحافلة 70
(206) 257-2022 بلغتك، اتصل بالرق م RapidRide إلى خ ط
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