On January 25th the West Seattle Rethink the Link group invited the public to a forum to learn about the West Seattle Link Extension, and to discuss the pros and cons of bringing light rail vs increasing bus services in West Seattle. Martin Pagel from STB was one of the panelists to offer technical details, along with Marty Westerman and John Niles offering their own perspectives. STB’s Ross Bleakney and I attended as observers, along with Mike Lindblom from the Seattle Times. Dick Falkenbury, the creator of the Seattle Monorail Project in the 1990s and 2000s, spoke briefly near the end.

Continue reading “West Seattle Link Forum” | 195 comments

Transit & Streets:

• $1 billion shortfall in WA transportation budget imperils projects (The Seattle Times, $). The budget hole is mostly due to rising construction costs, but partially due to declining gas tax revenues. Legislators are considering switching from gas taxes to a road use charge.
• WA State Legislature is considering a bill that would require speed limiters in cars of drivers with histories of racing or speeding (Washington State Standard)
• King County Metro reminds you that Metro, ORCA, Sound Transit and other ORCA transit agencies do not share customers’ personal information with ICE or the TSA, and King County agents are prohibited by County Code from inquiring information on citizenship or immigration status (Metro Matters).
• Early data shows improved travel time for MTA commuters since implementation of congestion pricing (Mass Transit Magazine)

Continue reading “Midweek Roundup: Americans Want Walkability” | 82 comments

This morning, the Seattle Times ($) reported Metro is testing thicker, “intrusion-proof” barriers to protect bus operators from attacks. The barriers will replace the “safety partitions” Metro built in-house and installed across its bus fleet in September 2020 to protect drivers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the Seattle Times notes, the use safety barriers for Metro drivers has been long-debated. However, following the tragic killing of Metro operator Shawn Yim and increasing complaints from drivers about public safety issues impacting their ability to safely operate their buses, the King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci organized a 2.5-hour forum to discuss ways to address issues with transit safety and security. Following that forum, Balducci released a statement summarizing the possible solutions, including “adding fully enclosed driver compartments to buses, like on trains and airplanes”.

Continue reading “Metro testing beefier barriers to protect bus operators” | 16 comments

Sound Transit has opened an “Online Open House” and public survey sharing updates on the Graham Street Station project, one of three infill station projects included in ST3. This latest online open house and survey closes on Friday, February 7. For an in-person experience, Sound Transit is hosting a public workshop tonight (5pm to 7pm) at the Filipino Community Center (5740 Martin Luther King Jr Way S) to “provide a space for the Graham Street community to review potential station locations, learn more about the benefits and challenges of each option, share feedback from your perspectives, and have an opportunity for dialogue.” The station is expected to help fill in the 1.6-mile gap between the Columbia City Station and Othello Station when it opens in 2031.

The survey reveals where Sound Transit is heading in regard to building the Graham Street Station, which has an estimated cost of about $118 million. Let’s take a look.

Continue reading “Narrowing the Options for Graham Street Station” | 118 comments

10 US transit project openings in 2025. (Transit Tangents) This was published December 31. A voice from Texas.

Navigating Houston on only public transit. (Transit Tangents)

The amazing transit comeback of Los Angeles. (Climate and Transit)

This is an open thread.

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Last year, Seattle voters approved the Transportation Levy, which will spend $1.55 billion on transportation projects over the next 8 years, averaging $193.75 million each year. Yesterday, SDOT announced its delivery plan for 2025, in which it expects to spend $174.8 million across the 11 Levy program areas. The plan notes that a major focus this year will be developing new programs outlined in the Levy, preparing initial Levy projects for early 2025 construction, and beginning early work on the largest capital projects which require years to develop and build.

Of the $151 million planned to be spent on “Transit Corridors and Connections” over the next 8 years, $12.6 million in projects are on the docket this year. The Transit Corridors and Connections program area includes three sub-programs: “Transit Spot Improvements”, “Transit Passenger Safety”, and “Transit Improvements and Access to Light Rail”.

Continue reading “SDOT’s Transit Projects for 2025” | 2 comments

Snow is expected this weekend, with mixed rain/snow on Saturday in downtown Seattle. Pure snow showers start early Sunday morning through Monday night, with a possible accumulation of less than half an inch every 12 hours. Tuesday through Thursday have a chance of snow showers. Lynnwood is similar. Boeing Field may get an inch Saturday evening. There’s a lot of uncertainty about how much snow there will be in the lowlands.

The National Weather Service has forecasts for each city. In each one there’s a “Forecast Discussion” link in the bottom left section with a long explanation. These are usually easy to read, although the one Friday evening is cryptic. Cliff Mass‘s weather blog has a detailed play-by-play and model images of the next few days. The Seattle Times ($) and King 5 have coverage.

Metro

King County Metro has a winter guide, a snow routes page, and the Emergency Snow Network (ESN) map. Note that Metro has three levels of service depending on the severity: regular service, snow routes, and the ESN. Some routes may be on snow routes while others are on regular service.

Continue reading “First Snow of 2025” | 36 comments

WSDOT is currently conducting an I-5 master plan study. The primary focus for the Seattle metro area involves converting HOV lanes into express toll lanes. While the current study won’t be finalized for another four years (until 2029), previous completed studies from 2010 to 2012 that provide a good starting point.

Continue reading “I-5 Toll Conversion” | 63 comments

At the future Marymoor Village Station this morning, Sound Transit announced the Downtown Redmond Link Extension will open on May 10, 2025. The opening will extend the 2 Line by 3.4 miles from its current terminus at the Redmond Technology Station to Downtown Redmond, with a stop near Marymoor Park south of the intersection of State Route 520 and Redmond Way.

The extension is mostly at-grade along State Route 520, climbing to an aerial alignment terminating in Downtown Redmond. The Marymoor Village Station is at-grade and includes a 1,400-stall parking garage, which the light rail actually passes underneath as it turns west toward Downtown Redmond.

Continue reading “Downtown Redmond Link Opening May 10” | 112 comments

WSDOT has been working on extending and completing the HOV lane system through the Puget Sound region encompassing King, Pierce, and Snohomish County. This article will provide a short recap of the existing freeway system as well as future extensions, though predominantly focusing on the HOV improvements for transit purposes.

Many of the existing HOV direct access ramps were built as part of Sound Move in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Recent I-5 and SR-16 HOV extensions throughout Tacoma will be extended on I-5 south to Lakewood.

Continue reading “WSDOT HOV Overview” | 48 comments