Eastlake Layover Facility

After finishing a trip, Metro buses often stop temporarily along Eastlake Avenue East before starting its next trip, giving bus operators their mandated rest break to help them stay alert.

To keep everyone safe on the street in this area, King County Metro is building a facility on the east side of Eastlake Avenue East, next to Interstate 5, between Roy and Republican streets. When built, the facility will accommodate 11 bus layover spaces and provide a place for bus operators to take breaks and access safe restroom facilities Though the site will not be open to the public or people riding the bus, public input had a role in the design of the location. Members of the public recommended installing a metal and wood panel exterior, colorful accents and native plants evoking landscape of the Pacific Northwest. The project also includes multimodal transportation improvements along Eastlake Avenue East.

The construction will transform the layover location, improving pedestrian access with the creation of new pedestrian crossings and updating some of the current crossings. Cyclists will travel on the east and west side of Eastlake Ave E between Fairview Ave N and Stewart Street. There will also be a shared-use path on the east side of Eastlake Avenue East between Roy and Mercer streets for pedestrians and cyclists.

• Keeps buses on schedule
• Free street space for other uses
• Move “out of service” buses off-street instead of taking valuable curb space
• Provide safe and reliable restrooms and break areas for bus operators

There will be several roadway changes for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists once the project is complete:

• Metro is working in partnership with the Seattle Department of Transportation's Eastlake Layover Facility Mobility Improvements Project to construct protected bike lanes. SDOT will install new protected bike lanes on the east and west side of Eastlake Ave E between Fairview Ave N and Stewart Street. Please contact Ching Chan with the Seattle Department of Transportation via email or by phone at 206-257-2263 for more information.

Other roadway change include:

• Impacts to some on-street parking stalls on the west side of the roadway. Parking will be:
  • removed between Roy and Mercer streets
  • reduced to six stalls between Mercer and Republican streets
  • removed between Harrison and Thomas streets
  • restricted to weekend-only between Thomas and John streets
• Permanent lane reductions – from four to two lanes – between Roy and Stewart streets.
• A shared-use path on the east side of Eastlake Avenue East between Roy and Mercer streets.
• Replacement of the northbound right-turn slip lane to Lakeview Boulevard East with a right-turn-only lane at Roy Street.
• New or improved pedestrian crossings.
• New traffic signal installation at the Eastlake Avenue East and Republican Street intersection.
• Removal of the existing bus stop at Mercer Street and Eastlake Avenue East (which serves routes 355 and 304). An alternative stop will be Route 70 at Mercer Street and Fairview Avenue. Please refer to Metro’s North Link Connections Mobility Project for more information.

Full map (Sections A - E) Section A Section B Section C Section D Section E