SDOT May Nix Parking To Fix Gap In E. Union Bike Lane Project

SEATTLE, WA — In April, SDOT released a concept design for a protected bike lane (PBL) along East Union Street that would connect Capitol Hill to the Central District. It's an already heavily-used route for bikers in a neighborhood that is growing quickly.

But there was a glaring problem: the concept showed a two-block gap right in the middle stretching from 22nd to 24th Avenue. Transit advocates were outraged, and grew even angrier when it was suggested bikers could just ride on the sidewalk between 22nd and 24th.

"SDOT’s traffic professionals know that you can’t just have the bike lane disappear for two blocks and expect it to function as a high quality, all ages and abilities bike route," wrote Seattle Bike Blog's Tom Fucoloro.

SDOT's plan for the East Union PBL is not final yet, but the department is now saying that it may get rid of parking to close the gap. Specifically, SDOT spokesman Ethan Bergerson said parking on the south side of Union between 22nd and 23rd (there's no parking on the north side) and on both sides between 23rd and 24th could be removed. SDOT may also remove parking on the south side of Union between 17th and 18th avenues for Seattle World School bus parking.

"We haven’t begun the formal design process for the Union PBL yet so the concepts we’ve shared are not a confirmed design. In other words, it’s not set in stone, and we’re still in the process of collecting feedback and evaluating possible alternatives," Bergerson said Tuesday.

There's also a second gap in the PBL, according to the initial SDOT concept. Between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and 26th Avenue, Union would feature a PBL heading west and a sharrow heading east.

SDOT will be accepting feedback on the East Union PBL until May 31. You can take the survey here. The final design likely won't be ready until the end of 2019, with construction targeted for early 2020. The project will be paid for by the Move Seattle levy.