March 2019 – Page 3 – Seattle Transit Blog

News Roundup: Confirmed

March 2, 2019March 1, 2019 by Frank Chiachiere

Sam Zimbabwe is confirmed as SDOT director. Nice profile from newly installed Times transportation reporter Heidi Groover.
The Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) program is finally going to pass council. Extra huzzahs to CMs Mosqueda, Juarez, and González for not backing down on the up-zones.
Meanwhile, Oregon is getting really ambitious about zoning near transit
Audit report says Metro’s reliability is good, customer communications could be improved
Automated bus lane enforcement now out of the transportation committee
The Onion takes on congestion pricing
Hong Kong is redeveloping a golf course for affordable housing. If only Seattle had some golf courses near transit stations…
Jarrett on the relationship between transit and zoning
Replacing the Magnolia bridge will be expensive and contentious
On a totally unrelated note, Seattle’s carbon emissions keep rising
ADU reform is advancing in Olympia
Mike Maddux on scooters
No matter how you slice it, tunneling to West Seattle will be expensive
Transit advocate Abigail Doerr is running for KC Council
Massive bureaucratic re-org proposed for New York’s MTA, includes congestion pricing revenue

Reminder: Meetup on Monday @ Big Time Brewery

March 1, 2019March 8, 2019 by Frank Chiachiere

Come down to Big Time Brewery in the U-District and chat with us. No formal agenda, just a chance to hang out in person.

Monday March 4
6pm
Big Time Brewery & Alehouse
4133 University Way NE, Seattle

Facebook invite here

Durkan asks FTA for Chinatown/International District comment extension

March 1, 2019March 8, 2019 by Peter Johnson

4th and 5th Avenues South in Chinatown. Credit: Bruce Engelhardt.

Yesterday, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan petitioned the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to extend the environmental impact statement (EIS) scoping period for the West Seattle-Ballard Link extension by 15 days, in order to solicit more comment on the planned second Chinatown/International District (CID) station.

Durkan’s request is a result of lobbying from CID community leaders. Under present plans, the EIS scoping period will end on March 18.

“We are supportive of the request by residents, civic, and business leaders of the Chinatown-International District and Pioneer Square neighborhoods for a scoping extension for gathering comments for the [West Seattle-Ballard] project,” Durkan wrote in a letter to the FTA’s regional administrator, Linda Gehrke.