An update late today from the county, regarding what’s next for bus-related road and sidewalk work in the Westwood Village area. Instead of starting today, the next phase of the project is pushed back till after Thanksgiving:

King County Metro Transit is adjusting the schedule for the next round of construction in West Seattle, starting bus zone and sidewalk improvements Nov. 26 and focusing work on the south side of Southwest Barton Street.

The project builds improvements that will help pedestrians and bus riders for Route 120 – one of Metro’s top 10 busiest routes. Three to four weeks of construction are expected on the south side of the intersection of Southwest Barton Street and 26th Avenue Southwest just south of Westwood Village. Work on pedestrian improvements on the north side of the intersection is scheduled to begin after Jan. 1.

The updated construction timeline works around the contractor’s schedule, as well as traffic expected during the upcoming holiday season. Once work begins, a flagger and uniformed police officer will ensure traffic flows reliably around the work zone.

Crews plan to build a “bus bulb” – sidewalk extensions that allow buses to serve passengers without pulling out of traffic – on the southeast corner of the intersection.

On the southwest corner, they’ll build similar sidewalk extensions to improve pedestrian access. Other planned work includes traffic signal modifications and improved pedestrian ramps on the other corners.

The bus stop on 26th Avenue Southwest will be temporarily relocated and pedestrians will be directed to temporary detours as the construction area changes in coming weeks. Pedestrians and bus riders who need more specific information about construction can leave a message at 206-684-1162 or email community.relations@kingcounty.gov.

The work is part of the larger $2.8 million Route 120 Transit Improvement Project funded by a State Regional Mobility Grant and King County matching funds. It is led by King County Metro Transit and coordinated with the city of Seattle and the city of Burien.

Metro recently completed a half-mile-long northbound bus lane along a key stretch of Delridge Way Southwest, expected to improve travel times and reliability approaching the West Seattle Bridge during the morning commute. The bus lane operates 6-9 a.m. weekdays from Southwest Oregon Street to Southwest Andover Street and helps reduce signal and queuing delays for Metro bus routes 120 and 125, benefitting more than 900 riders during the morning commute.

The overall project improvements include:

Reducing the number of closely spaced bus stops to help buses move faster and operate on a more reliable schedule.
Improving features at bus stops.
Adding a northbound bus lane and bike lanes on Delridge Way Southwest
Installing a bus bulb – a sidewalk extension allowing buses to serve passengers without pulling out of traffic at 26th Avenue Southwest and Southwest Barton Street.
Installing transit signal priority at key signals between the Burien Transit Center and the West Seattle Bridge.

All project work is expected to be completed by June 2013. Project details are online at metro.kingcounty.gov/have-a-say/projects/route120/. Information about transit trip planning, construction reroutes and other transit information is available at metro.kingcounty.gov.