RapidRide H Line
RapidRide expansion - coming in fall late 2022
Work temporarily paused at several locations
Due to regional concrete supply issues, construction at the following locations have been paused temporarily:
- 15th Avenue SW and SW Roxbury Street
- 15th Avenue SW and SW 102nd Street
- 15th Avenue SW and SW 107th Street
- 26th Avenue SW and SW Roxbury Street
- Ambaum Boulevard SW and SW 112th Street
- Ambaum Boulevard SW, between SW 116th Street and SW 122nd Street
- Ambaum Boulevard SW and SW 128th Street
- Ambaum Boulevard SW and SW 136th Street
- Ambaum Boulevard SW and SW 142nd Street
We are adjusting our schedule and plans to manage delays and impacts. Construction will resume once the supply issues are resolved.
We’re working to transform Route 120—one of our 10 busiest routes—into the new RapidRide H Line.
Public transit is an important part of how we will meet the diverse needs and priorities of our rapidly growing region. Our current demand for transit, plus future needs identified in our cities’ growth plans, require access to public transportation that is fast and reliable.
When the RapidRide H Line launches, it will come more often and be more reliable than Route 120 is today. It will provide connections from neighborhoods in Burien, White Center, and West Seattle to downtown Seattle along Third Avenue and South Lake Union. RapidRide H Line will also provide needed connections to other bus service and Link light rail.
What’s happening now?
Construction on the RapidRide H Line project began in June 2021 and is expected to last through late 2022. Please sign up for project updates to stay informed on RapidRide H Line construction activity.
As construction moves forward, our team will share information about what to expect and how to continue traveling by bus in the area. We are reaching out to neighbors, businesses, and local community organizations in advance of construction to notify them when and where work will happen, as well as what impacts to expect. We are also coordinating with our partners at the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) to minimize impacts on concurrent construction work.
SDOT has already started construction on RapidRide H Line and other safety improvements along Delridge Way SW. You can learn more about the effects of construction along the Delridge Way SW portion of the RapidRide H Line project by signing up for updates on the SDOT project page.
Three rounds of public outreach over the past several years had an important influence on the project’s final design. Community input helped to inform routing, stop locations, station amenities and safety and access improvements. Read a summary of RapidRide H Line outreach to learn more.
Please visit the Metro Matters Blog for more information about the construction activity.
What to expect during construction
Construction on the RapidRide H Line project began in June 2021 and is expected to last through late 2022. Typical work hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with some nighttime and weekend work.
- Noise, vibrations, and dust in the project area
- Temporary parking restrictions
- Periodic lane and driveway closures
- Large machinery and truck activity
- Construction staging and parking impacts near the construction site
- Some sidewalk, intersection, and lane closures
- Detours for people walking, biking, and rolling
- Temporary bus detours and bus stop relocations for Route 120 and other area transit and bus routes.
- Flaggers to direct traffic around work areas
We will provide notifications to businesses and residents ahead of construction activities in your area.
What changes you'll see
- Buses will come more often and be more reliable.
- More service will be added at night and on weekends.
- Some bus stops will be upgraded with new shelters, lighting, real-time arrival information, off-board ORCA card readers and more.
- Sidewalks, street crossings and signals, and paths for accessing stops will be improved for pedestrians, bikes, and those with limited mobility.
- New business access and transit (BAT) lanes will be added to improve travel times for transit and provide better access to businesses for drivers. Learn more about BAT lanes.
- New roadway improvements for people driving and taking transit, including new turn lanes and traffic signals, will make it easier for transit and drivers to move through the corridor.
- SDOT plans to improve access to transit along Delridge Way SW and is including bicycle and pedestrian improvements as part of the project. These improvements may include upgraded crosswalks and intersections, new crosswalks, better connections to nearby greenways, and a protected bike lane on Delridge Way SW Visit SDOT’s website to learn more.
Project partners
We’re working with partner jurisdictions to help keep what’s great about Route 120 while also improving access to bus service. They’ll help us find new ways of helping people get where they need to go and collaborate with us to make roadway and corridor improvements that support RapidRide service.
Community involvement
Thank you to everyone who shared feedback, attended community open houses, and engaged with our project team throughout project design. The community’s input helped our team to explore route options and finalize the route alignment, to determine the location of safety improvement projects, and to select available bus station amenities.
What we heard during design
- Route Alignment: Community input helped to create a hybrid route alignment in place of the two proposed options. Metro heard that the community preferred a route that traveled along SW 150th St. instead of SW 148th St. to the Burien Transit Center. This allows for more direct access to downtown Burien businesses and services and improves travel time in and out of the transit center.
- Safety Improvements: Concerns from current and future riders about safety at key intersections helped determine the location of new traffic signals, pedestrian beacons, and infrastructure improvements. These safety improvements will make accessing and navigating transit easier and safer for riders and neighbors.
- Station Amenities: Route 120’s upgrade to RapidRide H Line means new shelters and amenities at all RapidRide station locations. Community input helped to clarify which amenities future RapidRide H Line riders most preferred at their stations. Our team used this information to help determine the allocation of station resources among almost 50 RapidRide stops.
