Midweek Roundup: Bridging Gaps

An aerial photograph of Salmon Bay in 1950, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Note the Northern Pacific bascule bridge crossing near 8th Avenue W; this bridge was demolished in 1979 with dynamite.

Transit News:

• The Seattle Times ($): WA ferry fares increase to make up for passenger decline
• Ryan Packer (Twitter): Dow Constantine's budget proposal includes a quarter adult fare increase for @KingCountyMetro , bringing the fare up to the $3 flat fare that is currently in place at Sound Transit. Dow's touting 168,500 service hours added by his budget. What would that look like without the fare increase? Not sure we're going to be able to know the answer to that."
• King County Metro Matters: Recognizing Metro's Operators of the Month (July-August 2024)

Project Updates:

• The Urbanist: Sound Transit Board Forges Ahead on West Seattle Link Despite Cost Jumps
• Sound Transit: The Kent Station Parking and Access Improvements project broke ground
• The Seattle Times ($): Who will build WA's electric ferries? Only one West Coast shipyard shows interest
• Sound Transit: Exploring changes to Sounder starts now

Budget News:

• The Seattle Times ($): Before Seattle votes on $1.55B levy, city goes on a bridge repair binge
• Notes from the Emerald City: Harrell's proposed budget might lead to permanent defunding of affordable housing
• KUOW: Budgets in WA are tightening as population growth slows

Commentary:

• The Urbanist: Op-Ed: Recognizing Nondrivers Can Spur a Revolution in Transportation and Housing
• The Urbanist: Urbanism 101: Zoning's History and Role in the Housing Crisis
• South Seattle Emerald: Weekend Reads | How Prepared Is the PNW for Extreme Heat?
• Seattle Bike Blog: Everyone in the Puget Sound region should fill out Puget Sound Regional Council's Safety Action Plan survey
• Human Transit: San Francisco Bay Area: A Consistent Regional Mapping Standard?
• Westside Seattle: West Seattle Link Extension faces scrutiny in independent Environmental Impact statement from ReThinkTheLink - if only those Regional Transit Colleagues" could spell Cathal Ridge correctly.
• Jarrett Walker (Twitter): Seattle heretical thought: West Seattle's geography is not ideal for rail, because demand branches out over several corridors (Admiral, Delridge, etc). Wouldn't a Brisbane-style open busway give faster travel times to everyone not at proposed stations? What am I missing?

This is an Open Thread.