In preparation for the new Judkins Park light rail station, slated to open on March 28, major transit redevelopment has been underway in the area. Over the past several months, Rainier Avenue South has experienced the bulk of improvements to accommodate the station, along with other transportation and housing projects.
A bus lane was added to the northbound lane of Rainier Avenue South, traffic signals were put up at South Grand and South College Streets, and pedestrian crossings were painted across the on/off ramps for I-90. At the same time, multiple apartment buildings have been constructed between South Massachusetts Street and South Holgate Street.
Even with these upgrades, Rainier Avenue South remains a busy "stroad," a thoroughfare that blends features of a street and a road. According to the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) 2022 Traffic Flow Counts, between 34,195 and 39,602 vehicles traveled on Rainier Avenue South around I-90 on an average weekday.
After the Judkins Park Station opens, the region's transportation agencies plan to continue redesigning Rainier to shift drivers to use public transit, ride bikes, or become pedestrians. From multimodal changes to calm traffic to launching a RapidRide line to redesigning the area around I-90, transit improvements are on the horizon.
But don't expect to see most changes anytime soon.
The SDOT citywide Seattle Transportation Plan labels the improvements to Rainier as Project 67, a top-priority, high-cost project aimed at improving safety and livability in the area. Along with the completed projects above, SDOT plans to:
Add additional enhanced crossings.
Continue paving improvements that provide maintenance and modernization.
Create a bicycle connection between the Judkins Park Station, the Chinatown-International District, and Mount Baker.
There is no specific timeline to complete this project, but it will be ongoing over the next few months to years. Project 67 is interconnected with other projects, including creating safer intersections along Martin Luther King Jr. Way S. (Project 62) and enhancing bus service along Rainier Avenue South (Project 68).
Metro Route 7 is one of the busiest bus lines in Seattle, serving 9,000 riders per day. SDOT Project 68, otherwise known as the Route 7 upgrade, is a top-tier, low-cost project aimed at significantly improving safety and modernizing the bus line to transform it into the RapidRide R line.
King County Metro (KCM) restarted planning for the RapidRide R line in 2025 after a five-year hiatus that was due to the COVID-19 pandemic. KCM says the R line will:
Increase access to reliable and frequent transit in South Seattle.
Reduce delays along the route.
Improve riders' experience with enhanced buses, shelters, and lighting.
SDOT and KCM have no clear timeline for the project or the opening of the RapidRide R line, and they are still in the planning and community-engagement stages.
Currently, heavy traffic flow on Rainier Avenue South strains the existing street and traffic-control configurations during peak hours. Daily backups occur north of I-90 at the South Charles Street intersection and south of I-90, at South Massachusetts Street.
Once the Judkins Park Station opens, SDOT and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) plan to redesign Rainier Avenue and I-90 around the station. On Feb. 23, WSDOT released its recommendation from the "Reconnecting Communities" study team, which includes representatives from SDOT, KCM, and Sound Transit. The recommendations include:
Reducing Rainier Avenue South from six lanes to four lanes under I-90, with one vehicle lane and one dedicated bus lane in each direction.
Closing and reconfiguring on- and off-ramps at signaled T-shaped intersections to calm and control traffic.
Adding pedestrian signals on Rainier Avenue just north of I-90.
The recommendations from WSDOT are currently in the preliminary phase and will require years and funding to plan, develop, and implement.
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