Schematic for the Rainier Station on I-90, from CH2MHill

So much news, so little time.

• The Central District News went to a Rainier Station open house and has some new  information about the station. It’s great to see that the station will have entrances on 23rd Ave as well as Rainier. Here’s an aerial shot of the place the station will occupy. It doesn’t look like a particularly pedestrian friendly place from either direction, but it is built in the middle of an interstate, so can be expected?
• California Governor Arnorld Swarznegger is calling on President Obama to allow states to regulate automobile emmisions. Former President Bush wouldn’t let California regulate fuel economy standards for new cars above and beyond the fuel standards impossed by the Federal Enivornmental Protection Agency. President Obama has said he will look into overturning the Bush administration’s decision.
• Obama’s pick for Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, has passed Senate Committee hearings and appears a lock to get confirmed for the post this week, with a full Senate vote likely Friday.
• Matt Ygkesias points out that much of money the highways in the stimulus bill won’t be spent in the next two years. That’s not as big a deal for as the lack of transit funding.
• There’s an open house for Tukwila Sounder Station on January 29, 2009 from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m at the Embassy Suites in Tukwila.
• The state has sold two passenger-only ferries to the Golden Gate Transportation District for $4 million. The proceeds will likely go to fund the King County Ferry District, which will take over the State’s passenger Ferry service from Seattle to Vashon, and will eventually operate passenger-only ferries to other locations. The Ferry District gets most its funding from a property tax imposed by the County Council near the end of 2007.