The Year Fremont's 36th Street Was Torn Up Was Also the Year It Restocked

"This stretch of street, lined with popular businesses and often teeming with foot traffic, feels quieter and calmer most of the day," Lydia Heard of the Fremont Neighborhood Council told The Urbanist at the Route 40 ribbon cutting on October 29. "It is a much more enjoyable walking experience, and it is easier to cross the street."

She was describing N 36th Street after it dropped to one general travel lane in each direction. The Seattle Department of Transportation announced the project complete on October 30. Fremont's part of the work started May 12, 2025, so the street spent about a year and a half under construction. Over that time, a new bar, a new shop, a reopened pet store and a new owner at the corner 7-Eleven all set up along the same blocks. The new businesses and the new street layout were finished in the same year, and both favor people arriving on foot.

The Lane Went to the Bus, and the Curb Stayed With the Shops

Eastbound N 36th St now has a business access and transit lane, painted red, running from 1st Ave NW toward the Fremont Bridge. Buses and people on bikes can use it. Drivers can pull in to turn right, reach a driveway or get to the curb, but they can't use it as a through lane. That keeps curbside access for the storefronts while handing the travel lane to the bus.

For anyone driving through Fremont's core, Fremont Neighbor's spring explainer lays out the practical changes:

• No eastbound left turns from N 36th St at 1st Ave NW or at Phinney Ave N.
• Westbound on N 35th St near Fremont Ave N, one lane is now reserved for buses turning south onto Fremont Ave N. Drivers going straight or turning right use the lane next to it.
• Westbound N 36th St varies by block. Some blocks have a center or dedicated left-turn lane with one general lane, and others keep two westbound through lanes.

SDOT also built two blocks of protected bike lane in Fremont, northbound on the east side of Fremont Ave N between N 34th and N 36th streets, as part of a redesign of the street north of the bridge. SDOT says crews may come back over the next few weeks to finish smaller tasks.

Ninety Seconds, and a Bus Stop That Moved to Lenin

The trade was a travel lane in exchange for bus time, and the early numbers show what that bought. At the ribbon cutting, King County Executive Girmay Zahilay cited Metro's initial data showing an 11% improvement in Route 40 travel time between Fremont and Ballard, which works out to about 90 seconds saved per trip on average, The Urbanist reported. The route carries roughly 9,000 riders a day. According to SDOT, the new bus lanes leading to the Fremont Bridge let buses get ahead of traffic after the bridge opens for boats, and anyone who has sat through a bridge opening on Fremont Ave knows how much that matters.

Some of the most familiar stops also moved. Since March 28, the old shared northbound stop at Fremont Ave N and N 34th St has been split in two:

On the west end, crews started building a new westbound stop on N 36th St between Greenwood Ave N and Phinney Ave N in mid-September, Fremont Neighbor reported. That work included sidewalk and driveway upgrades in front of the 7-Eleven.

The Storefronts on 36th, New and Changed Hands

By May 8, 2026, SDOT reported that paving and water-main installation were done in Fremont, though striping, the red lane paint, signal activation and the bike lane were still to come. In the weeks after, while the street was still being finished around them, several businesses on 36th opened, reopened or changed owners, next to longtime anchors that stayed open. Heading east from the low end of the address range:

1. Petapaluza, 112 N 36th St. Reopened in June at the same location under new ownership, with the same services.
2. Stampede Cocktail Club, 119 N 36th St. An established bar whose owner opened a second one nearby this year.
3. Handsome Jack Supply Co., 223 N 36th St. Opened in early June. Owner Murphy Gilson stocks vinyl, watches and pocket knives and hosts events.
4. Bar Twist of Fate, 225 N 36th St. Moved into the former Outlander Brewery building, which Fremont Neighbor placed four doors down from Stampede. It was aiming for a June 1 grand opening, and The Infatuation reviewed it as an operating bar by July 6.
5. 7-Eleven, 304 N 36th St. Changed hands June 2, when Ron Bhamipuri retired after his family ran the store for more than 30 years. New gas pumps went in over the summer.
6. Add-a-Ball, 315 N 36th St. The pinball bar has been here since 2011 and has a November event calendar on its site.

Stampede and Twist of Fate are both owned by Paul Shanrock, who has lived in Fremont for 15 years. He spoke at the ribbon cutting, as My Ballard reported. "As a business owner, I can get more people safely to and from my businesses, which is fantastic," he said. "I think they've done great work on the sidewalks in Fremont. Overall, it's just a net positive and an upgrade."

His first bar was already running when construction started, and he opened the second one on the same street before construction ended. That fits the case Heard made about the new layout: a quieter, easier-to-cross 36th is a better block to own a bar on. SDOT counts more than 6,000 feet of upgraded sidewalk and 15 new or upgraded crosswalks across the whole Route 40 corridor.

At the East End, the Bridge Approach Is Changing Too

The east end of 36th, where it meets Fremont Ave N and Fremont Pl N, got the bigger redesign. Heard told The Urbanist that "the reconfiguration of 35th at Fremont Place has a calming effect and transforms that corner into a more welcoming public space." That corner now has the relocated Route 40 stop at the Lenin statue. It also has Baci Baci, an Italian-inspired cafe and espresso bar that owner Christa Thomas opened at 3512 Fremont Pl N on May 15.

Caffe Ladro at 452 N 36th St served its last day March 31 after 26 years there, and Fremont Neighbor tied the closure to planned demolition and redevelopment of the block. Construction on that block will be the next one to reshape this end of the street.

New weekday traffic is arriving a few blocks south as well. Kiln opened its first Washington location on October 19 at 837 N 34th St, with 27,000 square feet of waterfront coworking and office space. Margie Almario is the Fremont community manager. On the Wallingford side, Nolu Hall opened in mid-October at 3400 Stone Way N in the former Purple Café space, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal's October 14 report. It has counters for Mallard's Smashburgers, Corners Tavern Style Pizza and Parcel Grain Bowls, plus Bad Mouse Wine Bar.

Two Holiday Dates Within a Walk of 36th

The Fremont Chamber of Commerce calendar has two events coming up near the corridor:

• Holiday Makers Market at Stone Way Auto, Sunday, November 15, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. More than 25 local makers and artists. Free and open to all ages.
• Mingle and Jingle at Fremont Social, 127 N 35th St, Thursday, December 3, 5 to 9 p.m. The Chamber's second annual holiday party, with a DJ, food, seasonal drinks, a raffle and Santa. Free for Chamber members, $15 for nonmembers, and free for children 10 and under.

Fremont Social is one block south of 36th. Whether you walk there or ride the 40 to Lenin, the new layout covers the trip.

At TeamUp Seattle, we follow changes like this block by block, because a new bus stop, a redevelopment site or a calmer stretch of sidewalk shapes daily life in Fremont and what nearby homes are worth. If you're curious how this year's changes around 36th Street affect your home's value, ask us for a free home valuation or set up a time to talk.