3rd Ave Improvements
September 18, 2025
What's Happening Now?
This week, we have continued replacing the underground water main with a temporary one, which will require water shut offs for certain buildings. You can see what remaining buildings in the area will be impacted below:
Map of 3rd Ave, showing different buildings that will be affected by water main shutoffs and service disruptions
Thursday (Sept 18) from 9 PM to 7 AM, Friday (Sept 19)
- All buildings outlined in ORANGE will be affected
- Water shutoffs will take less than 2 hours
Map with red diagonal lines showing where the road closure on 3rd Ave will occur (between Stewart St and Pine St)
We will need to fully close 3rd Avenue for one block, between Stewart St and Pine St beginning at 7pm on Friday, September 19 until 5am on Monday, September 22. During this time, all northbound and southbound lanes between these two streets will be closed as we demolish concrete panels and the curb. The new concrete will need time to cure and harden, and after that we will paint new temporary stripes on the street and open the road again for drivers and buses.
Driving?
Eastbound and Westbound traffic will still be allowed, but vehicles on Pine St and Stewart St/Olive Way will not be able to turn left or right onto 3rd Ave. Instead, they will be detoured away toward Pike and Lenora respectively.
Taking the Bus?
Please be aware that buses will be rerouted off of 3rd Avenue for this closure. You can find more information and rider alerts on King County Metro’s website.
We thank you for your patience! You can also contact our project outreach lead and subscribe to our email updates to learn more.
Thank you for your ongoing patience as we work together to build a better 3rd Ave!
King County Metro bus drivers navigate 3rd Ave’s bus only lanes through downtown Seattle
Overview
3rd Ave is Seattle’s busiest bus corridor and one of the busiest transit corridors in the state. Prior to the pandemic, it was traveled by more than 2,500 buses carrying 100,000 riders each day. This important bus corridor connects thousands of people walking, biking, and taking transit to jobs, housing, events, businesses and shopping centers, restaurants, cultural centers, service providers, and other transit connections to local and regional destinations. Over the next 2 years, we will be:
Building street, sidewalk, and bus stop upgrades in Pioneer Square
This includes upgrades to the southbound bus stop at 3rd Ave S and S Main St, and safety improvements for people walking, biking, and rolling at the intersection of 3rd Ave and Yesler Way. Click on the links to visit these project webpages to learn more.
Paving 3rd Ave between Virginia St and Pine St, and between Yesler Way and S Main St.
Starting as soon as Summer 2025, we’ll begin repaving 3rd Ave between Virginia St and Pine St. While we rebuild the street, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) will also replace an aging cast iron lead joint watermain between Virginia St and Pine St originally built in 1910.
We began repaving 3rd Ave S between Yesler Way and S Main St in December 2024. Another crucial part of this work will involve SPU making repairs to their storm sewer system at the intersections of S Washington St and 3rd Ave S, and at S Main St and 2nd Ave Extension S.
Repaving these sections of 3rd Ave will help buses travel more efficiently on smoother, stronger pavement. We are conducting ongoing outreach to impacted properties in advance of the paving and waterline work to help them prepare for construction.
Working with King County Metro to upgrade real-time information kiosks at bus stops
Many of the existing real-time information kiosks don’t work anymore, and King County Metro will be replacing these kiosks. To get ready, SDOT will remove the existing kiosks and their foundations and build new foundations so Metro can install the new kiosks. The new kiosks will have real-time bus arrival information and ORCA cards readers to help people board the bus more quickly. King County Metro expects to start installing the new kiosks soon, and we will let the public know when once a timeframe is chosen.
| Stop ID | Direction | On Street | Cross Street |
| 431 | S | Third Ave | Pike |
| 468 | S | Third Ave | Seneca |
| 481 | S | Third Ave | Columbia |
| 490 | S | Third Ave | Cherry |
| 538 | N | Third Ave | Columbia |
| 558 | N | Third Ave | Seneca |
| 578 | N | Third Ave | Pike |
| 590 | N | Third Ave | Pine |
| 1610 | N | Prefontaine Place S | Yesler Way |
| 10328 | W | Valley Street | Fairview Ave N |
| 26641 | S | Westlake | Mercer |
| 26645 | S | Westlake | Harrison |
| 26665 | S | Westlake | 9th |
| 26690 | N | Westlake | 9th |
| 26715 | N | Westlake | Harrison |
These improvements are just one part of the City of Seattle’s bigger plan to make downtown safer, easier to get around, and more welcoming. Extending dedicated bus only hours on 3rd Ave also supports the Mayor's Executive Order on climate justice in transportation by investing in bus lanes. See our 3rd Ave Improvements factsheet for more information.
Funding
These 3rd Ave improvements are funded with various funding sources, including the voter-approved Move Seattle Levy and Seattle Transit Measure. Funding is also provided by Sound Transit grants, King County Metro grants, and the Landscape Conservation and Local Infrastructure Program.
Schedule
The schedule below shows planned milestones and may change:
End of 2023:
- Design complete for 3rd and Yesler safety improvements and 3rd and Main bus stop improvements projects
Fall 2024:
- 3rd and Yesler safety improvements construction began September 2024
Winter 2024:
- 3rd and Main bus stop improvement construction began Dec 2024
Spring 2025:
- 3rd and Yesler Safety Improvements construction ended (April 2025)
Summer 2025:
- 3rd Ave Virginia to Pine Repaving construction began July 28, 2025
- 3rd Ave and Main Bus Stop Improvements construction ended August 2025
Materials
3rd Ave Improvements: Paving and Water Main Replacement Fact Sheet
3rd Ave Improvements - Paving & Water Main Replacement Frequently Asked Questions
Public Q&A Sessions
3rd Ave Projects
Learn more about the 3rd Ave projects at these project webpages:
- 3rd Ave S and S Main St Bus Stop and Safety Improvements
- 3rd Ave and Yesler Way Safety Improvements
- Transit Spot Improvements
To learn more about projects happening throughout the entire City, view our Capital Projects Dashboard.