Our Vision for Fremont

Reconnecting Fremont can be accomplished by creating four at-grade crossings on Aurora Ave and two new transit stops for the E-Line.

Why?

Fremont, Divided: Jersey barriers and speeding traffic along Aurora Ave divide Upper Fremont in half, separating communities and presenting numerous challenges for people who live, work, and play in Fremont:

  1. There are few safe places to cross Aurora Ave

    • There is a complete lack of accessible, ADA-compliant crossings of Aurora Ave

    • There are no "all ages and abilities" bike crossings

    • Crossings of on- and off-ramps from Aurora Ave are poorly marked and not signalized

  2. There is limited access to transit on Aurora Ave

    • Only a single stop on the E-Line serves all of Fremont and it is difficult to reach the stop from many parts of the neighborhood

  3. The roadway is unsafe, noisy, & dirty

    • Even though vehicle speed limits have been reduced elsewhere along Aurora Ave, they remain 40 mph through Fremont–with speeding commonly in excess of 80 mph!

    • The design of the roadway does little to mitigate the noise, water, and air pollution generated by the traffic along Aurora Ave

  4. The Aurora Avenue corridor lacks a safe bike route connecting Fremont & Green Lake that supports cyclists of all ages and abilities

Reconnecting Fremont would remove literal barriers, making it possible for people of all ages and abilities to move freely and safely about the neighborhood while enjoying all that Fremont has to offer:

  1. A family could visit the Woodland Park Zoo by bus from a transit stop only a few minutes walk from the zoo entrance

  2. A parent with a stroller could walk from Fremont Ave to Stone Way in 10 minutes

  3. A wheelchair user could visit shops on both sides of Aurora Ave in Fremont--something that is impossible today.

  4. A student could bike from BF Day Elementary School and Playground to the Wallingford Playfield in under 10 minutes on a safe all ages & abilities bike route

  5. A worker could take the E-Line to their job in downtown Fremont and only have to walk 5 minutes to catch the bus


How?

  1. Create ADA-compliant, signalized pedestrian & bicycle crossings at four locations:

N 50th St

N Motor Pl

N 41st St 

N 39th St

  • Remove jersey barriers and add a median island to encourage walking and biking while mitigating cut-through traffic

  • Modify curb ramps as needed

  • Add wayfinding signs to important local destinations, such as Woodland Park, the Fremont Troll, and the Center of the Universe, as well as for connecting to existing bike lanes at Fremont Ave, Stone Way, and the Stay Healthy Street at N 43rd St

2. Create ADA-compliant, fully-accessible transit stops at two locations:

N 50th (Woodland Park Zoo) and 

N 39th St 

3. Improve access to the existing transit stop at N 46th St

4. Convert existing part-time transit lanes to full-time freight, business, and transit lanes

5. Add pedestrian-activated Rapid Flashing Beacons (RFB) and clearly painted sidewalks at angled intersections feeding Aurora Avenue, including:

N Phinney Way

Green Lake Way N

N 38th St

Fremont Way N and 

Bridge Way N

6. Reduce speed limits along this section of Aurora Ave to less than the current 40 mph, preferably 30 mph or less

7. Create east-west bicycle and pedestrian Greenways between existing bike routes on Fremont Ave & Stone Way along

Motor Place/N 43rd St

N 41st St

8. Create a north-south bicycle and pedestrian Greenway connecting Green Lake and Fremont along

Woodland Park Ave N

9. Establish Safe Routes to School for BF DayElementary, Hamilton Middle, and Lincoln High Schools

10. Encourage the planting of street trees in neglected curb strips


Note: The locations for the crossings and stops are provisional and subject to the results of both the Seattle Department of Transportation Aurora safety study and the King County Metro Rapid Ride E-Line improvement study.


Example Crossing

Where?

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