Levy to Move Seattle

Updated: August 2023

We are delivering on our commitments to voters outlined in the 2015 Levy Ordinance and the 2018 Updated Workplan Report.

Thanks to the Levy, we are keeping you moving more safely and smoothly and giving you options to travel. Your Levy dollars have helped us transform major arterial streets to make them safer and more community-friendly, and install fresh pavement on our roads. Each year, Seattle’s bridges are stronger, crossing the street is safer, taking the bus is easier, and biking around town is more accessible.

You can continue to trust us to create an equitable transportation system that provides safe, dependable, affordable access to places and opportunities.

What’s happening now?

We are pleased to present the Q2 2023 Levy to Move Seattle Report. This report highlights our work in the second quarter of 2023 that was funded by your tax dollars through the voter-approved Levy to Move Seattle. Some of these achievements include: 

Safe Routes

  • Continued safety projects downtown on 1st Ave S and along Aurora Ave N including installing no-turn-on-red signs, leading pedestrian intervals, and reflective signal heads; installed improvements on 4th Ave S between S Holgate St and S Massachusetts St; and continued design of traffic calming improvements near Seward Park. 
  • Completed four Safe Routes to School projects. 
  • Repainted 1,363 crosswalks and 32 lane miles of arterials. 
  • Added over two miles to our bicycle network.
  • Completed 2,793 sidewalk repairs totaling 12 blocks of sidewalk.
  • Built 125 ADA curb ramps.
  • Completed construction on two Neighborhood Street Fund projects: 51st Ave S and Renton Ave S Traffic Safety Enhancements and the Andover and Dakota Pedestrian Safety Enhancements.

Maintenance and Repair

  • Repaved almost 3 lane-miles.
  • Completed 116 bridge spot repairs.   
  • Completed design of the 15th Ave NE/NE 105th St Bridge and 15th Ave NW/Leary Way Bridge seismic reinforcement projects.
  • Continued planning studies on Admiral Way Bridge N and S bridges and University Bridge N Approach. 
  • Rebuilt three stairways. 
  • Completed the South Park Drainage Partnership Project.  

Congestion Relief

  • Installed improvements on several King County Metro bus lines including Route 7 and Route 44 projects, reached 100% design of the Route 48 project, hosted design workshops to develop concept design alternatives for the Aurora Ave N corridor, continued major construction on the Madison RapidRide G Line, and continued design work for the Roosevelt RapidRide J Line and Route 40 projects.
  • Added over two miles to our Intelligent Transportation Systems network.
  • Built two blocks of new sidewalks in partnership with the Safe Routes to School program near Wing Luke Elementary.
  • Made 12 crossing improvements including three new crosswalks. 
  • Completed three bicycle spot safety projects.
  • Completed advance potholing for the water main on the East Marginal Way project and worked on the water main lay plan for approval by Seattle Public Utilities.
  • Completed a lane extension to streamline freight movement on S Spokane St at the southbound SR-99 off-ramp. 

Background

Approved by voters in November 2015, the 9-year, $930 million Levy to Move Seattle provides funding to improve safety for all travelers, maintain our streets and bridges, and invest in reliable, affordable travel options for a growing city.

The levy provides roughly 30% of the City's transportation budget and replaces the 9-year, $365 million Bridging the Gap levy approved by voters in 2006.

The levy aims to take care of the basics, while also investing in the future with improvements to move more people and goods in and around a growing Seattle.

Thank you, Levy Oversight Committee

An oversight committee made up of Seattle residents, appointed by the Mayor and City Council monitors levy expenses and revenues, reviews program and project priorities, and makes recommendations to the Mayor and City Council on how to spend levy proceeds.

Our commitment to transparency and accountability includes working closely with the Levy Oversight Committee. SDOT appreciates the time and service the Committee’s volunteers dedicate to Levy oversight.

See materials from the Levy Oversight Committee meetings here.

Keeping track of Levy progress

We are committed to clear and transparent reporting on transportation projects funded by the Levy to Move Seattle.  Levy reports and the Levy dashboard are important tools for you to monitor Levy progress. Here are the reports we produce each year, which are also available on the Materials page.

Transportation

Greg Spotts, Director
Address: 700 5th Ave, Suite 3800, Seattle, WA, 98104
Mailing Address: PO Box 34996, Seattle, WA, 98124-4996
Phone: (206) 684-7623
684-Road@seattle.gov

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The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is on a mission to deliver a transportation system that provides safe and affordable access to places and opportunities for everyone as we work to achieve our vision of Seattle as a thriving, equitable community powered by dependable transportation.