RapidRide Corridor 1056 (Route 165)

Route 165 Bus by Qu Ma from CPTDB wiki

King County Metro Corridor 1056, a potential RapidRide conversion of Route 165 - traveling between Kent Des Moines Station, Downtown Kent, and Green River College - was set as Tier 3 priority corridor for future RapidRide expansion. In this post we'll review the proposed route alignment, planned improvements, and expected ridership.

Alignment

The existing Route 165 operates between Burien and Green River College, passing through Des Moines, Kent and Auburn. There were two main alignment areas investigated with two choices for each.

First from Kent Des Moines Station to Downtown Kent, the existing alignment between Des Moines and Kent on Veterans Drive and Lakeside Blvd has less density than using the alternative alignment with Kent Des Moines Road and Meeker Street. The latter was chosen for both increased density and speed.

From Kent to Green River College, there are two paths possible using SE 240th Street and 132nd Ave SE; or using the more direct Canyon Drive and SE Kent Kangley Rd. The latter was chosen for the faster speed, which will add connections to the apartments and shopping plaza near SE 256th / 104th Ave SE, albeit at the expense of skipping the East Hill community.

King County Route 165 map

Lastly and most importantly, the new RapidRide 165 would truncate at Kent Des Moines Station rather than continuing on to Burien. This will consolidate service hours to the main east-west portion for higher frequency. But unfortunately also transforms a one-seat bus ride from Burien to Kent to a 3 bus ride RapidRide F to TIBS, then Link from TIBS to Kent Des Moines Station, and finally back on Route 165.

Frequency and LayoversExisting Route 165 frequency by time of day

The existing Route 165 operates with a lower infrequent weekday service of 30 minutes from 5 am to 10 pm.

Proposed RapidRide frequency by time of day

In order to reach RapidRide frequency would require a lot more bus hour investment compared to other routes, requiring 60 additional bus hours over the existing 82 (a 74% increase).

Kent Des Moines Station Site plan

For the new station, buses will layover to the east of the station and turn around using a roundabout.

Delays and ImprovementsRapidRide bus delay map

Most delays are concentrated near Kent Des Moines Station and Kent Sounder Station

RapidRide proposed transit treatment map

To address those delays Metro suggests adding BAT lane treatments some from conversion of existing lanes, shoulder utilization or road expansions. The first is the least politically likely with the latter two somewhat politically easier but with much higher construction costs.

• S Kent Des Moines Rd (Military Rd S to W Meeker St): Add bus-only lane on left or center lane (eastbound), convert shoulder lane to bus-only lane (westbound).
• W Meeker: Add queue jumps.
• SR-516 (Central Ave S to 132nd Ave SE): Add bus/BAT lane from Central Ave S to 132nd Ave SE through widening'.

Existing local improvements map

There are two other relevant documents to check: Kent's transportation improvement plan and WSDOT's plan for SR 509 extension.

W Meeker St / 64th Ave S: The project includes bus stop improvements on the north and south side of W Meeker Street east of 64th Ave S, and signal improvements including transit signal priority.

I-5/SR 516 interchange improvements by WSDOT

The I-5/SR 516 interchange improvements by WSDOT for the SR 509 extension will add new freeway ramps and extend Veterans Drive under I-5. Though there are no explicit transit priority improvements listed for SR 516.

Weekday ridership increase

The increased frequency and transit priority treatments would increase ridership from 2,000 to 5,000 daily riders.

Station locations Proposed Station locations map

The existing stop pair distance is 1,700 feet, with the consolidation implemented will increase the stop pair distance to 2,870 feet or half a mile. Notably there is a large 2 mile skip-stop section on Kent Des Moines Road between Kent Des Moines Station and Downtown Kent.

Conclusion

King County Metro's proposed RapidRide 165 will improve service between Kent Des Moines Station and Green River College by increasing frequency and implementing bus-only lanes. While truncating the route to Kent Des Moines Station will impact Burien riders, the enhanced frequency provides convenient light rail access to Kent community.