Bus lanes under West Seattle Bridge get new red coating

SEATTLE — Drivers will notice new red markings under the West Seattle Bridge on Spokane Street Tuesday.

The new bus lane designs are meant to keep car drivers out and make the morning commute faster.

The move is just one of a few dozen plans the city has to ease congestion from West Seattle.

The lanes are the same as those on Battery or Wall Streets in downtown Seattle that let drivers know they’re for transit only. Those caught driving in the bus lanes could be ticketed.

When traffic gets tied up on the bridge, especially during rush hour, buses get stuck in car traffic and the city wants to avoid that with the new bus lane designs.

The city released a report saying traffic is expected to increase on the bridge by as much as 33 percent in the next 20 years. The red coating on the lanes is just one way they said will help ease the flow.

The cost for the red coating on the bus lanes is about $200,000 that the city says comes from Bridging the Gap levy funds.

For people who are interested in how red bus lane markings can help, on Pacific Street, the city says the red bus lane violations dropped from 59 percent of drivers to just 17 afterward.

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