CITY OF SEATTLE
RESOLUTION _________________
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A RESOLUTION relating to the Madison Corridor Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project; adopting the Madison Corridor BRT Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA); and endorsing efforts to pursue federal funding for the Madison BRT Project.
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WHEREAS, on April 16, 2012, the Seattle City Council unanimously adopted Resolution 31367 which approved the Seattle Transit Master Plan; and
WHEREAS, the Madison Corridor was identified in the Seattle Transit Master Plan as one of four corridors warranting high capacity transit based on growing demand, and because of the steep grades present in the corridor was identified as a bus rapid transit corridor; and
WHEREAS, the goals of the Madison Corridor Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project are to connect four of Seattle’s densest neighborhoods with fast, reliable, frequent, high capacity transit service; and improve east-west connections to the major north-south transit investments made in RapidRide, streetcar, and Link light rail for people living, working and visiting in these neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, following adoption of the Seattle Transit Master Plan, the City Council dedicated resources for a conceptual design study to analyze alternatives and identify a preferred alternative for the Madison Corridor BRT Project; and
WHEREAS, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has conducted a comprehensive analysis of numerous routing options and street alignment alternatives; and
WHEREAS, project screening criteria included ridership potential, transit integration and reliability, cost effectiveness, traffic and parking impacts, bicycle and pedestrian connections, and public support; and
WHEREAS, in addition to technical analysis, SDOT conducted five rounds of outreach at each phase of the study, including stakeholder interviews, open houses, neighborhood briefings and design workshops, online surveys, and presentations to community groups; and
WHEREAS, community input revealed a desire for frequent, fast and reliable transit throughout downtown, First Hill, and Capitol Hill, with BRT service extending to Madison Valley; and
WHEREAS, SDOT analyzed BRT performance and traffic impacts in downtown with Marion Street or Spring Street as eastbound routes; on First Hill and Capitol Hill in center- and side-running alternatives; and eastern terminals of 23rd Avenue and Madison Valley; and
WHEREAS, based upon technical analysis and the community engagement process, SDOT has developed a preferred alignment, as shown in Attachment A to this resolution, for a full-featured zero-emission electric BRT project with a mix of dedicated-transit facilities that responds to the unique transportation and community needs for each neighborhood; and
WHEREAS, the preferred alignment from First to Ninth Avenues is Madison Street westbound and Spring Street eastbound, with business-access transit (BAT) lanes, with a shared station at the Center City Connector streetcar on First Avenue and additional stops at Third, Fifth and Eighth Avenues; and
WHEREAS, the preferred alignment from Ninth to 13th Avenues is center-running, exclusive transit lanes on Madison Street, with stations at Terry, Boylston, and 12th Avenues; and
WHEREAS, the preferred alignment transitions to side-running, business-access transit lanes to 18th Avenue with a station at 17th Avenue; and
WHEREAS, the alignment transitions to mixed-travel lanes east of 18th Avenue with service extending to Madison Valley, with stations at 22nd Avenue, 24th Avenue, and Martin Luther King Jr. Way; and
WHEREAS, SDOT recommends a full-featured BRT project including this level of transit exclusivity, high-frequency, all-day service, transit signal priority, off-board fare payment, near-level and all-door boarding throughout the corridor, to deliver the transit capacity, reliability, travel time, and ridership projected, while maintaining overall mobility throughout the corridor; because the analysis shows that center-running transit lanes in the core of the corridor will maintain the transit performance over time; because the analysis shows that this configuration improves overall person travel-time in the corridor; and
WHEREAS, SDOT has determined that given the exclusive lanes and high-frequency service described above and shown in Attachment A, the projected ridership would be 12,000 per day in 2015 and 17,000 in 2035; and
WHEREAS, an assessment of Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funding criteria and review of other FTA-funded projects indicates the Madison BRT Project would compete strongly for future federal funds; and
WHEREAS, the project has been adopted in the Sound Transit long-range plan and could be funded in part by Sound Transit, and King County Metro is engaged in partnering to deliver the project as part of the RapidRide network; and
WHEREAS, The City of Seattle has prioritized this corridor in the Move Seattle Plan as the first new line in the BRT network; and
WHEREAS, following City Council adoption of an LPA, the Madison Corridor BRT Project will progress into a project development phase to include environmental assessment, preliminary engineering, and development of an implementation and funding strategy; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE, THE MAYOR CONCURRING, THAT:
Section 1. The Madison Corridor Bus Rapid Transit Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA), as shown in Attachment A to this resolution, is hereby approved.
Section 2. The City Council endorses efforts to pursue funding partnerships for the Madison BRT Project, including progressing through the Project Development phase of the Federal Transit Administration’s Small Starts program, working with Sound Transit to secure funding in the Sound Transit 3 program, and partnering with King County Metro to develop a project delivery agreement.
Adopted by the City Council the ____ day of ____________________, 2016, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its adoption this ________ day of ______________________, 2016.
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President ___________ of the City Council
The Mayor concurred the _____ day of _______________________, 2016.
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Edward B. Murray, Mayor
Filed by me this ____ day of ________________________, 2016.
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Monica Martinez Simmons, City Clerk
(Seal)
Attachments:
Attachment A - Madison Corridor Bus Rapid Transit Locally Preferred Alternative