Seattle committee reviews SDOT’s first annual 2025 levy delivery plan; council to consider lifting proviso

Seattle City Council Transportation Committee Chair Rob Saka and the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) presented the department’s 2025 levy delivery plan on March 11, 2025, outlining how levy funds will be used this year and asking the council to lift a budget proviso that is currently holding back part of the levy funds.

The delivery plan identifies more than 400 projects across the city, documents new programs (including a district project fund and a neighborhood-initiated safety program), and describes SDOT’s approach to prioritizing projects by equity, multimodality and timing. Director Adrienne Emery and SDOT staff told the committee the plan blends major corridor projects with day‑to‑day maintenance and operations and is grounded in prior city planning documents such as the Seattle Transportation Plan, the Climate Plan and the Transportation Equity Plan.

“This detailed plan represents a critical step forward in ensuring that we deliver our commitment to the people of Seattle,” SDOT Director Adrienne Emery said during the presentation. Chair Rob Saka opened the meeting by noting the council placed a proviso on part of SDOT’s levy funding during the 2024 budget process because the executive budget did not include a spending plan; he said the committee will consider lifting that proviso at the full council’s select budget committee on March 12.

Why it matters: Voters approved the transportation levy in November with oversight requirements; the annual delivery plan is the mechanism SDOT and the council will use to show how levy dollars are allocated each year. Committee members and SDOT staff described the plan as a shift toward more upfront transparency and an early step in implementing the levy’s commitments to safety, sidewalk access, bridge work and neighborhood investments.

Key details from SDOT’s presentation and committee discussion

- Scale and composition:…