DELRIDGE RAPIDRIDE H LINE: Take a closer look at what’s on the drawing board

Those are – still – key points of Delridge concern about the upcoming conversion of Metro Route 120 into the RapidRide H Line. The points were made during the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council discussion last Wednesday night that wrapped up a weeklong round of in-person feedback about the plan, including the introduction of a proposed package of stops and road changes labeled “Option 3:

(You’ll note that this includes rechannelization in some areas, which would include the removal of 270 on-street parking spaces in what are labeled as Sections C and E. SDOT says its studies showed 10 percent to 50 percent utilization of those spaces now.)

If you didn’t make it to any of the three recent events (a week before Delridge, Metro and SDOT held drop-in sessions in Burien and White Center), you might also want to scroll through the maps/renderings (below) that show how the stops would change along the route, plus specific changes proposed for Delridge/Holden and Delridge/Henderson:

(You can see the full-screen PDF version of those maps/renderings as pages 4-9 here.) The DNDC discussion of the Delridge plans followed the third SDOT/Metro open house of the week. We recorded the discussion on video:

Metro and SDOT reps were on hand for this as well. But it was far from the first time that neighborhood advocates including DNDC reps had spelled out the same concerns – including stop location/spacing – since the 120 is point-to-point transportation for many in the Delridge corridor, not just a way to get to and from downtown. The frustration was voiced at one point by DNDC’s Pete Spalding of Pigeon Point, who said this was at least the fifth time in three years that the group had listed its concerns. Michael Taylor-Judd of North Delridge wanted to be sure the project team was talking with groups including seniors who would be especially affected by an increase in stop spacing – while the third-of-a-mile spacing proposal is closer than RapidRide’s usual half-mile-apart spacing, it’s still a tenth-of-a-mile increase over the average on Delridge now.

YOUR FEEDBACK: If you have something to say about what’s currently under consideration for the Route 120/H Line conversion – where the stops are, how they’re spaced, and/or changes on Delridge – this is the time to say it, before the project team finalizes a recommended design, which will happen in the months ahead. RapidRide@seattle.gov is the address for project comments (though the county runs Metro, this is a joint project with SDOT, not only because of the road changes, but also because the city contributes funding for bus service). Design is to be completed this year, with construction of the stops and road changes starting in 2019 and continuing in 2020, when the H Line is to be launched.

8 Replies to "DELRIDGE RAPIDRIDE H LINE: Take a closer look at what's on the drawing board"

  • AMD January 21, 2018 (11:23 pm)

    I’m confused about the chart of bus stop changes (page 5).  It says bus stops not listed in the chart will remain, but none of the stops on Roxbury are listed on the chart and only the stop at 26th & Roxbury is the same on the map.  The others have all been removed and the one on 15th has been relocated to 16th/17th on the route maps. 

    Is there an extension of the chart somewhere that discusses the stops on Roxbury?  Or are they just letting us know on a map now the Roxbury stops are going away but the discussion about it will be part of the WC to Burien meetings?

    • Jeff Switzer, King County Metro January 22, 2018 (2:49 pm)

      @AMD The full map showing stops across the entire alignment is online http://www.kingcounty.gov/metro/hlinefeedback
      The SW 26th and SW Roxbury and the SW 20th and SW Roxbury stops are proposed to remain. We suggest consolidating (i.e., eliminating) the stops on Roxbury and 17 Av SW (eastbound) and Delridge Way SW (westbound). The other SW Roxbury stop locations depend on the alignment option.

      Public feedback supports the selection of the left-side option (on our website) in White Center (Routing Option 1 which turns on SW Roxbury at 15th – retaining the current route path, retaining stops on 15 Av SW near Roxbury).

      • AMD January 22, 2018 (5:08 pm)

        Thank you, that was very helpful!

  • D Del Rio January 22, 2018 (6:52 am)

    The H Line is coming wether we want it or not. It won’t be any faster just like the C Line is no faster than the old 54 it replaced. But it will come so parking can be removed, bus bulbs put in, and painting new lane configurations.  This is not going to help, it’s just the government’s way of social engineering at its worst IMHO. I’ve tried to take their so called surveys, and questions that I had were not asked. Tried to write my own questions, and kept getting bumped off. 

    • WSB January 22, 2018 (7:07 am)

      So e-mail your feedback (the address is above). This isn’t an issue of whether it’s happening or not but decisions such as stop locations have not yet been finalized. Before the C Line happened, there were major changes made because of community feedback – we covered that process extensively too. – TR

  • Neighbor January 22, 2018 (8:18 am)

    I’m concerned for the quality of like of people who live in central Delridge between Thistle and and Myrtle.  In plan 3 it looks like they are taking away the northbound bike lane which is the only cycling facility that serves this neighborhood aside from a possible southbound lane.   None of the greenways are reasonably accessible for this area. 

    I’d also bet that with four lanes planned and given no increase in enforcement that we’ll see higher traffic speeds and illegal  passing in the bus lanes if there is no physical barrier between the two lanes. And would there be any turn lanes for those who live in these apartments?

    This area, which has pockets of density will be the least pedestrian friendly.  No “boulevard treatment” no bike lanes, and hight traffic speeds. 

    I get that placing a northbound Rapid Ride lane here will speed up the buses some but there will be  costs to a population that generally lower income, has less of voice, and may have received less outreach from SDOT. 

    Neighbor 

  • Liz Steen January 22, 2018 (2:36 pm)

    Looks good! I’ve always wondered why so many of those stops are there – they’re always empty. It looks like the option will keep the stops that are crowded and lose the stops that arent, which should help with travel times. 

  • D January 22, 2018 (9:19 pm)

    Why aren’t there more safety measures implemented near the Refugee and immigrant family center and preschool in any of these options? Children walk up and down this street at various times of the day and there’s been minimal support of the local community who walk and bike Delridge Way SW.  I can’t count how many times I see cars flying by faster than the speed limit, swerving into the median lane to pass other drivers. How many people have had to die on delridge way sw before something happens?  I know I’m not the only one who’s been impacted by the death of someone on delridge hit by a car. 

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