SDOT revises Madison BRT project cost, construction schedule

SDOT reports it plans to start construction on the Madison Bus Rapid Transit project this fall, but is pushing its schedule for completion out to 2023.

The King County Council approved the future RapidRide G alignment from Downtown to Madison Valley late last year, clearing SDOT to continue working with the Federal Transit Authority to acquire $60 million in federal funding to build out the Madison Street corridor to accommodate hybrid-diesel buses.

Changes to Madison include building several center platforms, adding bike lanes, revised intersections and creating a turnaround facility at Martin Luther King Jr. Way.

SDOT reported on Friday the independent consultant hired by the FTA to review the project’s scope, schedule and risk recommended an additional $6.2 million to cover unexpected events during construction and to allow more time for project completion. That brings the project cost to $127.5 million.

“Based on FTA's review, our largest funding partner, we are updating the project budget and service start date to 2023,” according to a Madison BRT update email sent to subscribers, noting the project had previously been scheduled for completion in 2022. “We are still aiming for a construction timeframe of about 24 months and we are updating our outreach materials to reflect this change.”

The Madison Park Times has an interview scheduled with SDOT officials next week to learn more, and will update this article following that conversation.