RapidRide Corridor 1999 (RapidRide B + 226)

An electric battery bus serving Route 226 heads toward the Eastgate Park & Ride. Photo by Bruce qu via the STB Flickr Pool.

With the full Link 2 Line across Lake Washington expected to open in the next year or two, King County Metro is considering how to best reroute the the roughly-parallel RapidRide B Line. With RapidRide Candidate Corridor 1999, recently set as a Tier 3 priority line, King County Metro proposes a new north-south RapidRide between Redmond, Crossroads Bellevue, and South Bellevue. The current RapidRide B running an L would be split into a east-west and this north-south variant.

East Link Restructure and Future AlignmentProposed bus routes in East Link Connections

RapidRide B, currently serving as the main bus between Redmond, Crossroads, and Bellevue Downtown would split with the north-south portion running from Redmond to Bellevue's Crossroads neighborhood as part of this new line. The rest of the route would be a combination of routes from the East Link Connections bus restructures. The Route 226s portion connecting South Bellevue to Bellevue College, the Route 223 from Eastgate via Bellevue College to Crossroads, and Route 245 using NE 51st St instead of NE 40th St. Note: while Metro refers to the line as B + 226, the actual closest route comparison is Route 223 from Eastgate to Redmond.

There were four alignments discussed:

1. Redmond Technology: debated crossing SR-520 using the existing NE 40th Street or route to NE 51st Street, with the latter chosen for a slightly faster route.
2. Overlake: Choose between detouring to Overlake Village Center or heading straight on 156th Place NE. The latter was chosen for the faster route and the existing Link connection at Redmond Technology Center.
3. South Bellevue (Lake Hills): Debated between the using the existing Lake Hills Boulevard or switching to SE 22nd Street with the former chosen for denser land use.
4. Southern Terminus: Debated between Factoria; Eastgate Park and Ride; and South Bellevue Station. Factoria was briefly explored as mentioned in the Bellevue Transit Master plan but had difficulty with layovers/turning around and duplicative service. Eastgate Park and Ride as a terminus was not seriously considered with a lack of a Link station, but might be revisited when Issaquah Link opens. South Bellevue Station was chosen after the former two were eliminated.

After major alignment was chosen, two other changes added were using the proposed Bellevue College Connection rather than running through the middle of Bellevue College, and running on SE Eastgate Way instead of 142nd Pl SE and I-90. The latter option adds in a stop on Richards Road and operating through the Eastgate P&R bus loop, though with an increased travel time compared to using I-90.

The new RapidRide B + 226 would provide for a more consistent connection from South Bellevue Station to Eastgate, Bellevue College and Lake Hills compared to the new Route 226's proposed 20~30 minute frequency.

Bottlenecks and Improvements

This data indicates the major delays are on 156 Ave NE in Bellevue with some minor delays on 148th Ave NE in Redmond.

The existing B line has the second worst travel time variability of the RapidRide routes analyzed, from a 16-minute travel time in the early mornings and nights to up to a 37-minute travel time in the morning and evening peaks. A peak delay of over 130% of the base travel time is simply begging for transit prioritization.

To address these delays, Metro proposes to adjust intersections around Lake Hills, add BAT lanes to 156 Ave SE in Bellevue, and add BAT lanes to 148 Ave NE in Redmond.

Unfortunately, Bellevue and Redmond are are generally less likely to implement BAT lanes from conversion of general traffic lanes compared to Seattle, so the next section will analyze based on their actual transportation improvement plans listed in order from South Bellevue to Redmond.

Around South Bellevue Station and Eastgate there are two projects:

• TFP-242 Bellevue Way HOV lane: Acquire right of way for phase one of Bellevue Way SE, constructing a new inside southbound HOV lane from the Winter's House to the future South Bellevue light rail station. This would connect to the section of Bellevue Way, including an HOV lane that extends to I-90, already built by Sound Transit.
• TFP-266 I-90 Factoria Blvd Exit Expansion: Relocate the current trail undercrossing of the ramp between northbound I-405 and eastbound I-90 to a new bridge south of the existing undercrossing, and add a second off-ramp lane to the current ramp undercrossing. Evaluate how to best stripe the off-ramp lanes to ensure reliable transit operations

The HOV project while helpful for buses heading southbound on Bellevue Way, the HOV lane also currently heads west towards I-90, though buses can leave the HOV lane early to enter the eastbound I-90 ramp.

For the route through Bellevue College, currently buses use quite a circuitous route through the center of campus then three rights, through the Eastgate P&R bus loop, then three more rights to reach 142 Pl SE.

The Bellevue College Connection would upgrade the existing Snoqualmie River Road from a parking lot road to a full road with sidewalks and usable by buses. This will save as much as 4 minutes per trip.

For the 156th Avenue corridor, while the Bellevue Transit Master Plan does list as a project 156th Avenue NE - BelRed Road to north city limits: Construct business access and transit (BAT) lanes in both directions", few if any parts of the transit master plan has been implemented.

156th Ave NE currently consist of 5 lanes, 2 general lanes in each direction and one center left turn lane. A limited form of queue jumps is more possible at intersections with an additional right turn lane, especially given there are existing U-turn bays. There is a separated paralleling running 148 Ave NE Master Plan (TFP-250) in Bellevue that might add some BAT lanes; however, the proposed RapidRide B + 226 does not run on this road.

Redmond's Transportation Improvement Plan has a 148th Ave NE and NE 51st Street Westbound Right-Turn Lane: Add a second right-turn lane from westbound NE 51st Street to northbound 148th Avenue NE. No BAT or Bus lane improvements were found in the Transportation Master Plan nor in the updated one.

Station stop and travel times

Existing stop spacing is around 1,980 feet and around 45% of stop pairs are below a quarter mile. With some minor stop rebalancing, the new average stop spacing would be 2,840 feet or half a mile.

Costs and Gains

The full buildout is somewhat unlikely because right now the estimated cost is $76 million. As fractions of the total cost, transit speed improvements would be 53%, stops and stations 29%, charging infrastructure 15%, and finally layover and terminus facilities would cost 2%.

With a full buildout, Metro estimates ridership would increase by about 800 riders from 3,500 daily riders to about 4,300.

Conclusion

The new north-south RapidRide B + 226 presents an opportunity to enhance transit service along the 156th Ave SE (Bellevue) and 148 Ave NE (Redmond) corridors. By providing a direct and frequent connection between South Bellevue, Bellevue College, Crossroads and Redmond, the new route will offer a more reliable connection for both students, residents and shoppers. Lastly, the implementation of BAT lanes speeding up transit service heavily depends on local will from Bellevue and Redmond.