Transportation Planning

Our city and neighborhoods are made up of people who care about getting safely and efficiently to the places they need to go. As the city grows, transportation needs grow. The transportation system is changing as it adapts to demand, and the addition of new development, new technology and new projects that alter the behavior of users. City of Seattle planning processes with extensive public engagement efforts help identify strategies and priority transportation projects to improve safety and mobility for current users, as well as future users as outlined in our Comprehensive Plan.

Neighborhood and Sub-area Transportation Planning

The City’s modal plans provide blueprints for Seattle’s multimodal transportation system. And as the network for the four modes are discussed at the neighborhood planning level, solutions to reconcile conflicts and determine priorities in the limited right-of-way are defined in a local context. Working with the community provides an opportunity to prioritize transportation improvement projects and develop design concepts and associated cost estimates. The plans and studies become important resources for the community to reference as they pursue grants and other funding opportunities.

Citywide

Move Seattle, the New Mobility Playbook, and the four modal plans – Pedestrian Master Plan, Bicycle Master Plan, Transit Master Plan, and Freight Master Plan – provide frameworks for improving the networks and identify actions and investments to advance the vision articulated in each plan. The planning process for all four plans included extensive public engagement with the community and key stakeholders including the City’s Advisory Boards. Each of the four plans are updated every five years which allows for reconsidering priorities based on unanticipated changes and opportunities, to track what’s been implemented, and to incorporate lessons and best practices of the field.

Collaborations

Other Resources

Data and mapping are important tools to understand the existing transportation conditions and often establish the first steps of transportation planning efforts.

The document library provides a list of past plans and studies. You can access the current, active planning projects’ webpages above for more information or to get involved.

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

Newsletter Updates

Subscribe

Sign up for the latest updates from Transportation

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.