Most read & commented STB posts of 2019
Buses exited the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel for the last time in March 2019 (image: Oran Viriyincy)On the eve of the new year, it's time to review the old. In 2019, we dove deeper into ST3 planning. Transit advocates mused on ST4. As the year drew to a close, we also contended with a possible reduction in funding for already approved projects and current bus service in Seattle.
In descending order, our most read posts of the year are:
It's time to start work on ST4 by Seattle Subway (June 25). Seattle Subway would like you to support a 2024 ballot measure for more rail in Seattle. "Traffic is over - if you want it".
Build the Aurora Line by Seattle Subway (August 27). Where would those new rail lines go? Seattle Subway and Ryan DiRaimo make the case for an ST4 Aurora Ave line.
ORCA Pod Welcomes Monorail by Brent White (March 11). Despite our past urging, the Seattle monorail had too long remained outside the Orca family. No more. The change took effect in October.
What next after I-976? by Dan Ryan (November 6). 'Twas the day after the election, and the Courts hadn't yet begun to scold Tim Eyman for another bang-up drafting job. We crunched the numbers on what a fully implemented I-976 would mean for Sound Transit's expansion plans.
New Alternatives for the Tacoma Dome Link Extension by Frank Chiachiere (April 3). After Federal Way Link opens in 2024, the next southward extension will complete the spine to Pierce County. Frank took a detailed look at the options for the 10-mile rail extension to Tacoma Dome.
Kirkland and Sound Transit agree on connections to NE 85th BRT station by Dan Ryan (August 26). Sound Transit and Kirkland finally figured out an agreement about pedestrian and bike connections between downtown and the BRT station at I-405. Maybe a future autonomous vehicle connection too.
Sound Transit rethinking fare enforcement by Peter Johnson (April 5). Opening shots in the debate over how Sound Transit should enforce fares while navigating the disparate impacts of fare enforcement and keeping all that fare revenue coming in.
Downtown Kirkland to be an urban center by Dan Ryan (September 3). Downtown Kirkland is finally getting the official recognition it deserves as an urban center that has been more successful than most of the region's designated urban centers.
Finishing touches for Northgate Link as work continues below by Bruce Englehardt (December 14). Bruce toured the three stations under construction on the Northgate Link extension and shared this great set of photos with us. The stations are far enough along now that the reader gets a good idea what the finished product will look like.
The next 10 years for Link by Bruce Englehardt (July 26). On the tenth anniversary of Link rail service, Bruce looked forward to the next decade with a dramatically wider network north, south and east.
The most commented posts are:
What next after I-976? by Dan Ryan (November 6, 241 comments). After statewide voters, with an assist from Pierce County, voted to take away Sound Transit's MVET authority, we tried to dispel the spin with a look at the financial and timeline impacts for Sound Transit.
It's time to start work on ST4 by Seattle Subway (June 25, 179 comments). If I-976 told us anything, it's that Seattle's willingness to buy more transit is much higher than elsewhere. Seattle Subway made the case for a 2024 Seattle measure to build more lines across Seattle.
Build the Aurora Line by Seattle Subway (August 27, 171 comments). Seattle Subway looked forward to building this line in North Seattle, one of several opportunities were there a Seattle ballot measure in 2024.
I-976's impacts on bus service by Frank Chiachiere (November 7, 164 comments). We tend to think of I-976 as a Sound Transit story because that's where the biggest dollar impacts are. But it would affect Metro too, mostly by taking away half of the Seattle TBD funds.
Future Link riders are mostly in Seattle by Dan Ryan (January 30, 163 comments). The ST3 system will be 116 miles long, but these Sound Transit maps remind us how many Link riders won't travel so far from downtown Seattle.
Seattle transit ridership pauses after years of rapid growth by Dan Ryan (December 16, 158 comments). Perhaps the more remarkable story is that Seattle resisted gravity so long, growing transit ridership faster than any other major city. But it's coming back to earth as ridership has begun to lag overall growth.
Can we replace cross-country air with rail travel? Yes, we can! by Anton Babadjanov (February 15, 156 comments). Fresh off the WSDOT business case for high-speed rail in the Portland-Seattle-Vancouver corridor, Anton takes a wider lens to review the prospects for a national high speed network.
Sound Transit may build inline stop at Brickyard, shifting I-405 BRT to center lanes by Dan Ryan (August 10, 139 comments). In which we reinforce our standing as the definitive source of news about transit stops on I-405 overpasses. This small but valuable project enables a BRT that is faster and more reliable than originally envisioned.
A new network in North Seattle by Martin Duke (August 2, 138 comments). Northgate Link could lead to revisions in dozens of North Seattle bus routes. Martin Duke and Mike Orr dive into what works and what needs fixing.
ST3 Level 3 Planning: Lets Not Paint Ourselves into a Corner by Seattle Subway (February 19, 134 comments). Seattle politicians are debating spending maybe billions more on ST3 projects than originally planned. Seattle Subway wants more transit benefits and fewer cosmetic improvements out of all that money.
Sound Transit Board resists adding Seattle rail options over cost concerns by Dan Ryan (October 25, 133 comments). Seattle and the suburbs have argued over whether to build more expensive bridges and tunnels than the ST3 representative projects. The suburbs won this round.