Beginning next week, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), working in collaboration with King County Metro, will begin installing a number of pedestrian improvements along the Aurora corridor, all intended to support the start of Metro’s RapidRide Line E route, which begins service in early 2014.
The improvements include the installation of a new traffic signal at the intersection of North 95th Street and Aurora Avenue North, along with a number of new sidewalks on Aurora and some of its side streets. These sidewalks, where existing sidewalks are substandard or don’t exist, will give transit riders a safer and more pleasant path to and from their RapidRide stops on Aurora.
The project will also add a number of federally mandated Americans with Disabilities (ADA) curb ramps (although not at every Aurora intersection). Finally, the project provides funding for additional bus arrival signs along the corridor. Construction will be completed by the end of 2014.
The E Line will operate along Aurora between the Aurora Village Transit Center and downtown Seattle. Like other RapidRide routes, it is intended to improve transit speed and reliability, all intended to make travel by public transit more appealing to commuters. Information on RapidRide, as well as on the E Line, can be found at Metro’s website, located at http://metro.kingcounty.gov/travel-options/bus/RapidRide/.
Additional information, including details on the locations of various project elements, can be found on the project website, located at http://seattle.gov/transportation/aurora_rapidride_sidewalks.htm.
