SDOT receives $59.9 million grant for Madison Street Bus Rapid Transit Project

Credit: Federal Transit Administration

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has announced a construction grant award of $59.9 million to the City of Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) for the Madison Street Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project in Seattle, Washington.

The 2.3-mile BRT line will provide fast, frequent, reliable and safe public transportation along Madison Street, improving connections between key destinations in downtown Seattle and the densely populated neighbourhoods in the surrounding area.

“Public transit helps us to combat climate change and connect riders – particularly from underserved communities – to jobs, education, services and opportunity,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg. “This bus rapid transit project is a smart investment in Seattle’s transportation future, and the Biden-Harris Administration is committed to modernising and expanding public transit around the region and the country.”

Branded as the RapidRide G Line, the project will operate along an east-west corridor from downtown Seattle in the west to the Madison Valley neighborhood in the east, with connections to First Hill, Capitol Hill and the Central District. The project serves multiple major employment hubs, hospitals and dense neighborhoods with a diverse mix of housing and services.

“FTA is proud to join our partners in Seattle to improve transit connections and expand the RapidRide Bus Rapid Transit network in King County,” said FTA Administrator, Nuria Fernandez. “Transit riders on the Madison Street BRT line can look forward to more efficient service and other amenities that will improve travel times in this busy corridor.”

The total project cost is $133.4 million, with $59.9 million in funding provided through FTA’s Capital Investment Grants (CIG) Program, and includes transit signal priority, a real-time bus arrival information system, off-board fare collection and the purchase of nine low-floor diesel electric buses.

In addition, the new BRT line will provide multi-modal connections with the Seattle Streetcar System, Washington State and King and Kitsap County ferries at Colman Dock, Sound Transit’s Link light rail system and other King County Metro RapidRide BRT services.

SDOT estimates that construction of the project will generate approximately 240 jobs, and revenue service will begin in September 2024. King County Metro will operate the new RapidRide G Line once construction is complete.

FTA’s CIG Program provides funding for major transit infrastructure capital investments nationwide. Projects accepted into the programme must go through a multi-year, multi-step process according to requirements in law to be eligible for consideration to receive programme funds.