Downtown Transit Tunnel Closure Mar. 21-22: Link service between Capitol Hill to Stadium will be replaced by shuttle buses this weekend for scheduled maintenance.
Simulated 2 Line service from Lynnwood to Seattle is suspended until March 23.
Local Transit:
Sound Transit’s efforts to make ST3 affordable again continue with new cost-savings measures for WSLE (The Urbanist). Revisions to the long-term plan for ST3 are the focus of today’s ST Board retreat in Tacoma.
[Ed. This article featured a video that has since become unavailable. Here’s a video link in case it comes back. Commentators who saw the video, could you help summarize the content as you remember it in the comments?]
A bus restructure idea for rural Pacific County in the southwest corner of Washington State, home of the Long Beach penninsula. (The Transit Bandit) Thanks to commentator “big-b” for finding this video.
Would anyone like to do an article on another Washington county outside Pugetopolis? What is the current transit network like? How well does it serve residents and visitors? What service is missing? Would a revenue-neutral restructure help? Would a small expansion like one or a few more buses allow a large improvement to the network? This could evolve into a series about several counties if somebody or some people want to write it. We’ve had articles about Spokane, Ellensburg, the Tri-Cities, etc, when we’ve had somebody with ties to those counties or the agency announced a major change.
Eastbound 2 Line train departs Judkins Park station.
Judkins Park Link station will open with the full East Link Extension on March 28. While Judkins Park station will be an incredible resource for Seattle residents in the Central District and Southeast Seattle, the station’s location in the middle of I-90 is less than ideal.
The two entrances to Judkins Park station are quite different. The east entrance faces 23rd Ave, a 2-lane arterial, and Sam Smith park on the I-90 lid. The west entrance faces the 6-lane Rainier Ave under the Link tracks and several I-90 overpasses. Recent improvements in the area have mitigated some of the challenges faced by people traveling to the station by transit, bike, and on foot.
Transit Connections
Judkins Park station’s east-west orientation has potential for great connections with several north-south bus routes. Fortunately for transferring passengers, King County Metro, Sound Transit, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) have worked together to provide front door transit service to both entrances.
The opening date of the Crosslake Connection was announced on January 23, 2026 (Sound Transit).
Sound Transit’s arduous journey building the 2 Line will finally conclude two weeks from today with the opening of the “Crosslake Connection” between Seattle and Bellevue. On March 28, along with beginning regular operations of the world’s first (and only) electrified floating railway, two new Link stations will open: Judkins Park and Mercer Island. Like previous openings of Link extensions, Sound Transit is hosting celebrations at these new stations as well as key stations at either side of the Crosslake Connection and other stations along the 2 Line.
Stride 3 BRT will be the new avenue-running BRT on SR 522 (Bothell Way) from Seattle/Shoreline via Lake Forest Park and Kenmore to Bothell. The bus will run every 10 to 15 minutes and stop at 14 stations.
This article will continue the Stride 3 BRT discussion with the eastern half of the route with Kenmore and Bothell.
Simulated Service of the 2 Line west of Lake Washington has resumed. Northerners rejoice. The Crosslake Connection of the 2 Line opens on March 28.
Downtown Transit Tunnel Closure Mar. 21-22: Link service between Capitol Hill to Stadium will be replaced by shuttle buses next weekend for scheduled maintenance.
Local News:
No transit measure for King County in 2026, but the Council will likely implement a 0.1% sales tax hike for roadway maintenance, which currently has no funding (The Urbanist).
On February 26, Sound Transit announced the ground-breaking of Stride 3 BRT construction. Stride 3 BRT will be a new avenue running BRT on SR 522 (Bothell Way) from Seattle/Shoreline via Lake Forest Park and Kenmore to Bothell. The Stride 3 will connect the north Lake Washington corridor to the regional rail spine. The bus will run every 10 to 15 minutes and stop at 14 stations. This article will go over the choices for the Seattle to Kenmore segment and review the design plots released by Sound Transit.
