(Image: SDOT)

As the Seattle City Council begins debate over the final touches on the city’s $1.45 billion transportation levy proposal, work is finally underway to add one of the most crucial elements of the three-year street overhaul to create the soon to open RapidRide G bus line on Madison: paint.

There’s no telling how much new paint you might get in a $1.45 billion levy but the 2.50-mile, 10-station Madison bus rapid transit route scheduled to begin service by the end of summer is finally adding some color.

The Seattle Department of Transportation announced crews have begun the process of adding new painted bus-only lanes and markings up and down the RapidRide G corridor.

“We will start with painting new pedestrian crossings, stop bars and lane lines downtown and work our way towards First Hill and Capitol Hill,” SDOT says of the planned timeline for the paint job. “This work is scheduled to take place throughout the spring and summer and will finish in August. The final piece will be the red bus lanes and green bike lanes, along with crosswalks and lines in areas that were only recently paved with asphalt.”

Paint is a surprisingly core element of many of Seattle’s present-day transportation projects. There’s the deep red of the bus-only lanes and the “Kermit” green designating bike paths. Added lanes and curves of white lines and the streets sometimes look more like sports fields than boulevards.

Meanwhile, drivers had better start getting used to the new layout on Madison. New restrictions for drivers including the loss of left turns up and down most of the corridor are being moved into place.

“The left turn restrictions that were implemented earlier this spring are now permanent,” SDOT says. “These restrictions are necessary to maintain safety and traffic flow for when RapidRide G service begins.”

Signage is currently in place for drivers where left turns are prohibited: at 8th Ave, Terry, Summit, and Boylston. Better markings — and more restrictions marked on the maps below — are coming.

The trade? The new RapidRide G line will operate along the Madison alignment with station locations providing “very frequent service” to connect downtown, First Hill, Capitol Hill, and the Central District with buses every six minutes on weekdays, every 15 minutes on weekday nights, every six to 15 minutes on Saturdays, every 15 minutes on Sundays, and every 15-40 minutes on weekend nights. The G Line will operate 23 hours a day, from 5:00 AM to 4:00 AM.

All it took was three years, $134 million, and a little paint.

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