Midweek Roundup: Crosslake Update
by Nathan Dickey from Seattle Transit Blog on (#6YH5G)
Local Transit News:- Sound Transit's new blog series, Crosslake Update, will provide monthly check-ins on the 2 Line's connection to Seattle (The Platform). Additional coverage by The Seattle Times ($). The opening across Lake Washington is reportedly tentatively scheduled for January
3031, but may slip behind opening of the Federal Way Link Extension if more fixes are needed. - The driver of an SUV ran a red light and crashed into a pizzeria at 35th Ave NE and NE 55th St in Ravenna last week, hospitalizing three patrons (The Seattle Times, $). The driver was not arrested but SPD told the Times the driver will be cited and may face significant financial penalties in civil court". Which would have been more effective at preventing this incident: traffic cameras or bollards?
- A second phase of safety improvements to Lake Washington Blvd seem stalled, despite SDOT promises to start construction in February (The Urbanist)
A post on the updated South Link Connections bus restructure proposal is in the works.
Other Transportation:- Gov. Ferguson has chosen Eastern Shipbuilding Group in Florida to build three hybrid-electric ferries for the state system for $714.5 million, saving money for WSDOT but sending it out-of-state (The Seattle Times, $)
- Vancouver, BC, is replacing 100 aging diesel buses with battery-electric buses (Metro-Magazine)
- The WA Office of Financial Management estimates Seattle's population hit 816,600 on April 1 this year (The Seattle Times, $). Additional coverage by KUOW.
- Sprawl is still not the answer to America's housing crisis (CityLab)
- How a 40-second earthquake paved way for new Seattle waterfront (The Seattle Times, $)
- NYC (likely) next Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, wants to make the buses free. Darrel Owens thinks subsidized transit passes would be better, and considers the pros and cons (The Discourse Lounge). David Zipper agrees that making transit free is less effective than making it faster (Slate).
- Cities aren't built for moms (Architectural Digest)
- Op-Ed: Cascadia's Awakening - Building a Region That Works for All (The Urbanist)
This is an Open Thread.