All posts by Michael Smith

Over the past few months, the Wilson Transition Committee has met with thousands of Seattlities to better understand what the residents of Seattle want to see from the Wilson administration. The full report outlines recommendations in eight areas: Housing Affordability & Community Needs, Economic Development & Workers’ Rights, Transportation & Environment, Arts, Culture, & Creative Economy, Civic Narrative & Major Initiatives, Standing Up for Our Values, Public Safety, Parks, & Community Wellbeing, and Student & Youth Advisors.

While these different areas are intertwined, it’s worth highlighting the transit, mobility, and public access recommendations:

• Expand citywide bus priority lanes.
• Create integrated mobility hubs with user amenities & safe waiting areas, especially near light rail & bus transfer points. 
• Align transit investments with equity goals, ensuring access across neighborhoods, regardless of car ownership or income. 
• Increase 24-hour bus service
• Expand North-South & East-West connections, including Rainier Valley to Tukwila/Georgetown & Golden Gardens to UW. 

The report also mentions a few early wins for each category. For transit, these include: 

• Paint bus lanes on Denny. 
• Extend Seattle Housing Authority ORCA passes & increase Orca pass programs for nonprofits.

Sound Transit’s monthly maintenance program is continuing in March with several service reductions over the next few weeks.

Reduced Frequency

Starting at 11pm tonight, 1 Line trains will run every 20 minutes. The reduced frequency is to allow single-tracking trains between Rainier Beach station and Tukwila International Blvd Station. The 1 Line will resume its normal headways at 5am Sunday morning.

Pinehurst Station Construction

To accommodate Pinehurst station’s ongoing construction, 1 Line and 2 Line service will be altered after 11pm Monday-Friday next week. On Monday (3/2) and Friday (3/6), 1 Line trains will single track between Northgate and Shoreline South. 2 Line trains will terminate at Northgate station. After 11pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday next week, replacement buses will be used between Northgate and Lynnwood. The 1 Line will continue to operate between Federal Way and Northgate. The 2 Line will run between Downtown Redmond and South Bellevue, and between International District/ Chinatown and Northgate.

University Way NE (“The Ave”) is the historic main street near the University of Washington campus in Seattle. The street is lined with dozens of shops, restaurants, and bars that cater to thousands of UW students and the nearby community. In 2021, the U District Link station opened one block west of The Ave between 43rd St and 45th St. Despite the street constantly buzzing with people shopping and dining, most of the right-of-way is allocated for cars and on-street parking.

University Way runs between NE Pacific St and NE Ravenna Blvd. For the purposes of this article, we will focus on pedestrianizing The Ave between NE 41st St and NE 50th St. There are a few variables that need to be considered when pedestrianizing a street: transit, emergency vehicle access, deliveries, accessibility, and cross streets. Let’s take a look at possible solutions for each of these categories.

Update (Feb 21, 3:30pm): Crosslake 2 Line simulated service has resumed.

Following a power outage between Bel-Red station and Downtown Redmond station that started on Thursday, Sound Transit has decided to suspend simulated service on the full 2 Line until further notice. As of this morning, 2 Line trains will operate between South Bellevue station and Downtown Redmond station. The 2 Line will not run between International District/Chinatown station and Lynnwood City Center station. The 1 Line will run as scheduled.

Unexpected outages and service disruptions occur on all transit systems. When issues occur, transit agencies should clearly communicate the situation with passengers and quickly coordinate alternative travel options. Based on the past two days, Sound Transit needs to revamp how it manages outages on the 2 Line.

On Thursday, Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine announced Tap to Pay will launch across the ORCA system on February 23, 2026. Tap to Pay, also known as open payments, will allow passengers to tap a credit/debit card on the ORCA reader to pay the fare. Digital credit/debit cards are also supported using Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay. ORCA soft-launched open payment support on the RapidRide G Line earlier this month.

“Today’s announcement reflects years of work by our transit agencies across Puget Sound coming together with one shared goal: making transit simpler and more accessible to the people we serve” said Christina O’Claire, ORCA Joint Board Chair and King County Metro Mobility Division Director.

This announcement is a significant milestone for the next generation ORCA system. Over the past few years, ORCA has introduced several new features enabled by a redesigned backend system. In 2022, it launched the myORCA.com website and mobile app. In 2024, ORCA and Sound Transit announced the ability to save and access ORCA cards in Google Wallet. Open payment support is widely seen as an essential feature, especially with the expected influx to visitors to the region during the FIFA World Cup games this summer. ORCA will also pilot a 3-day PugetPass during the World Cup.

The first scheduled Link 2 Line train departed International District/Chinatown station (CID) this morning, marking the start of full 2 Line simulated service — a key final step before the 2 Line’s full opening on March 28. For the next six weeks, passengers will be allowed on the trains between CID and Lynnwood, and between Downtown Redmond and South Bellevue. Trains will travel empty across Lake Washington. To travel between CID and South Bellevue, passengers should transfer to Sound Transit Route 550.

This long awaited milestone brings significant benefits to many Link riders on both sides of Lake Washington. Passengers traveling between Lynnwood and CID will be able to use either the 1 Line or 2 Line. The two lines will alternate, resulting in a combined 4 minute frequency during peak hours and 5 minute frequency the rest of the day. Passengers traveling to a station south of CID should wait for the next 1 Line train. On the Eastside, 2 Line trains will now run between 4:00am and midnight.

Route 60 travels inbound from Westwood Village to Capitol Hill via White Center, South Park, Georgetown, Beacon Hill, the International District, and First Hill. Outbound trips travel in the reverse direction. In November 2025, Route 60 had 5,976 average weekday boardings.

Average Ridership Per Trip

The plots below show the average weekday ridership by stop in each direction, color-coded by time of day. For a more detailed breakdown of how the plots are set up, please refer to the How to Read the Plots section of the article discussing Route 70.

Route 60 provides essential crosstown service, operates as a last-mile connection to Link, and stops near numerous schools and hospitals. Some observations:

Earlier today, Sound Transit announced the full 2 Line will begin simulated service on Saturday, February 14. During this final testing stage, passengers will be allowed on 2 Line trains between Downtown Redmond and South Bellevue stations, and between International District/Chinatown (CID) to Lynnwood City Center stations. Simulated service will run between February 14 and the full 2 Line opening on March 28.

The start of simulated service brings significant service increases for riders on both the 1 Line and 2 Line. 1 Line passengers traveling between CID and Lynnwood will experience 4 minute frequencies during peak hours and 5 minute frequencies during the day. While the 2 Line will primarily use 2-car trains, the extra capacity will reduce crowding during busy times. 2 Line passengers on the Eastside will also see improved service as 2 Line trains will now run until midnight.

In January, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) announced the RapidRide J project reached a significant milestone: completion of the Eastlake water main replacement. It may seem odd for a transit project to be celebrating utility work, but this is a great example of how city departments can work together to improve the built environment.

While branded as a transit project, the J Line project is more of an Eastlake corridor overhaul project. Wesley Lin shared a breakdown of the project in 2024. When construction finishes next year, crews from SDOT, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), and King County Metro will have installed the following transportation, utility, and urban greening features infrastructure.

• Transportation
  • Transit
    • 2 miles of dedicated bus priority lanes
    • 20 bus stations
  • Biking
    • 3.7 miles of protected bike lanes
  • Walking
    • 2.87 miles of repaired sidewalks
    • 177 improved crosswalks
    • 131 upgraded curb ramps
  • Driving and freight
    • 2 miles of repaved streets
    • 33 intersections equipped with new traffic signals
• Utility
  • 1.7 miles of upgraded water main
  • 27 new fire hydrants
  • 174 new connections to homes and businesses
• Urban Greening
  • 190 newly planted trees

Yesterday, King County Metro launched its next generation of battery-electric buses (BEB) with a new livery and upgraded operator safety partitions. The new buses from Gillig will begin service on February 2, 2026 with periodic service on routes 105, 128, 161, 165, 184, and the F Line. The rollout of these buses marks a key milestone for Metro as it continues towards its goal of a zero emission fleet by 2035.

Metro’s new fleet will be based out of the brand new Tukwila Base. The Tukwila Base has capacity for 120 buses and sports 123 pantograph chargers. Each 40ft Gillig bus has an estimated range of 240–280 miles and can carry up to 68 passengers. Metro’s initial order with Gillig was for 89 battery-electric buses. If the agency is satisfied with the buses from this order, it will have the option to purchase up to 395 buses.