News Roundup: 9.5 Blocks

3rd/Pine from the Macy's Skybridge (Photo by the Author)

• As part of a broader "9 1/2 block strategy" to crack down on low-level crime, the city and Metro will temporarily relocate the bus stops at 3rd/Pike in early May. The stops will be moved a block south, between Union and Pike. ($)
• In a unrelated closure due to construction on Virginia St, Route 36 will skip 3rd/Pike and Route 40 will skip 3rd/Virginia, both until June.
• There's a lot on tap at the Sound Transit Board meeting today: selecting a final alignment and stations for Lynnwood Link, the East Link MOU, Capitol Hill TOD, and a first look at potential projects in the System Plan that will make up ST3. Watch live here at 1:30pm.
• Sound Transit has selected Gerding Edlen as the Master Developer for all the TOD sites at Capitol Hill Station. 418 apartments are planned.
• Planners love bikeshare. The APA conference (combined with great weather) meant that Pronto set ridership records over the weekend.
• Stakeholders have come to a broad agreement on the design for the relocated Tacoma Amtrak station at Freighthouse Square. But the only architecturally interesting feature, a clock tower, is being resisted by the FRA.
• Your summer forecast: construction.
• WSDOT is holding an open house on May 5 to discuss the latest plans for redeveloping the JBLM corridor. The gist: adding HOV in both directions, adding a bike path, rebuilding 3 of the 4 JBLM intersections, building a local access road, and keeping the ability to double track the Point Defiance Bypass.
• SDOT is also hosting an open house the following day, May 6, to display updated plans for Madison BRT.
• Goodbye, First Hill McDonalds. Hello, 17-story tower.

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