Seattle Transit Blog

Big project at Othello breaks ground; rent starts at $450/month. Sound Transit restores funding for preliminary engineering to central Federal Way and Redmond, a previous casualty of the recession. Metro aiming for cameras on 100% of buses by 2021. Rough early counts suggest 3,000 FHSC boardings per weekday. Councilmembers O’Brien, Sawant, Johnson, and Juarez for saving […]

In our summary series of Sound Transit 3 community feedback letters, four letters fell through the cracks, as they were not included in our original request for letters from Sound Transit and were not published by Sound Transit’s website until last week. But without further ado, here they are! Sierra Club The Sierra Club’s comments are […]

Martin and Frank discuss housing shortages, potential early wins for ST3, community feedback, water taxis, and dive into the reader mailbag. https://media.blubrry.com/seattletransitblog/s3.amazonaws.com/stb-wp/wp-content/podcasts/STB_podcast_011.mp3

In addition to the vast new stretches of track Sound Transit will consider for a November 2016 ST3 ballot measure, there are a number of infill stations on existing track segments that ST is considering for inclusion. In December, they presented cost and ridership estimates for these infill stations. All figures are in 2014 dollars, […]

BY SEATTLE SUBWAY The Sound Transit Board is now seriously considering a larger package for the next big regional transit expansion, ST3. Our understanding is that the most likely timeline for the finance plan is at least 25 years, up from 15 years. This means at least an 84% increase in funding for North King […]

If you want a chance to ride ULink’s inaugural train on March 19th, with a “Golden Ticket” commemorative ORCA card to go with it, a reminder that the the deadline to enter is today, February 29. The easiest way to enter is via social media; simply like/follow Sound Transit on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and share a […]

On the first birthday of the ORCA LIFT (low-income fare) program, this coming Tuesday, March 1, low-income fares will go live on two more services: Sound Transit Express buses ($1.50 in-county, $2.75 inter-county) Sounder commuter rail ($2.50 to $4.25, based on distance) . It took 30 years for Kitsap Transit’s low-income fare program, started in […]

Back in 2012 I wrote a skeptical piece about the prospects for Pronto (née Puget Sound Bike Share) in Seattle. I saw our dearth of safe bicycle facilities and rare all-ages helmet law, alongside the traditional complaints of hills and weather, as potentially fatal to the confident spontaneity that drives bikeshare ridership. Though some of my fears […]

For our next podcast, which will air sometime next week, Frank and I plan to select some questions from readers. So if there’s any subject you’d like us to discuss or questions you’d like us to answer, put it in the comments below before Sunday evening and we’ll consider if we have anything remotely interesting to say about it.

Daniel Hertz, writing at City Observatory: Land costs are also part of why yearning for the old days of moderate-cost bungalows is unproductive. A century ago, in most cities, it was possible to find relatively cheap land within commuting distance of downtown—partly because the invention of streetcars had just radically expanded the definition of “commuting […]

During institutional comment on Sound Transit 3, Seattle strongly asked for “early wins” that would show near-term value for Sound Transit 3. The intent of the request seems to be twofold: to chip away at today’s myriad transportation needs and also to incentivize additional ‘yes’ votes on the eventual ballot measure. Yesterday at the Sound […]

MRN’s almost ready in Ballard #seattlenewconstruction #seattlerealestate #mrnhomes A photo posted by Kelly Deen Morse (@seattlenewconstruction) on Jan 11, 2016 at 11:37am PST A few interesting articles on housing and land use caught my eye recently. First up, Nick Fitzpatrick in Forbes: An Axiometrics study of two metropolitan areas – Dallas and the San Francisco […]

[Update 11:30am: WSDOT responded that the MyNorthwest link reporting Good2Go identity theft is a 2013 issue that has been resolved. We’ve uploaded WSDOT’s full statement here.] I-405 HOT lanes saving bus riders an average of 7 minutes during peak. Othello Station is my favorite in terms of food available. Mason Transit GM resigns under a […]

In the race to pander to people that object to any genuine escape from congestion, Jay Inslee’s latest entry is more of the same old thinking ($): He is advocating two projects: • Adding a lane on I-405 at Highway 520 to Northeast 70th Place in Kirkland, where it would become an exit-only lane. Costs might […]

This post concludes our summary of ST3 feedback letters. Previous installments include East King County, Pierce County, Seattle, South King County, and Snohomish County. Belltown Community Council Belltown’s letter unsurprisingly laments its exclusion from the proposed Ballard line, losing out in favor of South Lake Union. It proposes resurrecting earlier Seattle Subway-style plans for SLU to be served as the […]

[Updated to clarify ridership on the West Seattle route in the 5th paragraph. The daily ridership numbers for the West Seattle ferry reported earlier were for recreational riders only, not total ridership. I have edited to correct the text and to add additional context]. On February 8, the King County Council accepted the final report […]

On February 17 Metro held a press event to announce that their three all-electric Proterra Catalyst battery-powered buses would be hitting the streets in revenue service that day. The buses will operate on routes 226 and 241—two routes that operate in a loop from the Eastgate Transit Center through downtown Bellevue. Initially 4602 was entered […]

March Madness in rail line openings begins on the 5th in Los Angeles. The 11-mile, 6-station, Foothill Gold Line extension in the San Gabriel Valley opens March 5. When the Regional Connector through downtown LA opens in 2021, the Blue and Gold Lines will be joined, forming a continuous line 48.6 miles long between Long […]

Did you know King County has a program to give out free youth ORCA cards to family members of LIFT card recipients at Public Health offices that issue LIFT (low-income ORCA) cards? I sure did not, and I make it an obsession to stay up on these details. The program is not advertised on Metro’s […]

Wednesday was the deadline for bills to get voted out of their original house in the state legislature. Nine bills dealing with affordable housing made it through, including one pushed by Mayor Ed Murray. Murray has been heavily pushing Senate Bill 6239 (sponsored by Sen. Joe Fain, R – Auburn) as enabling some of the […]

Usually a booming local economy comes with high fuel prices, as fuel demand rises commensurately with demand for housing and other commodities. But despite a strong local economy, weak global demand and purposeful oversupply from OPEC have given us historically low fuel prices. There are a number of reasons why low fuel prices are a policy and […]

Don’t believe the hype; Seattle drivers are great. Want to serve on a HALA Community Focus Group? Applications are due Friday, February 26. Obama’s transportation budget is pretty great. Since it doesn’t stand a chance, Yonah Freemark gives it a simultaneous introduction and eulogy. Check out CityLab on light rail’s future in Seattle, featuring Seattle […]

[Update, Friday 10:46am: Freighthouse Square owner Brian Borgelt has responded to recent coverage here and elsewhere with a scathing email that a source shared with STB, reading in part, “the legion of dingbats has attacked en masse, as they always do.” Read the full email here.] [Update, Thursday 12:03pm: Though the News Tribune didn’t disclose the financial […]

Martin and I discuss Kevin Desmond’s new gig at TransLink, the firing of Lynn Peterson at WSDOT, and whether it’s possible to put more buses on the freeways. Oh, and then I encourage all the kids to get off my lawn. https://media.blubrry.com/seattletransitblog/s3.amazonaws.com/stb-wp/wp-content/podcasts/STB_podcast_010.mp3

Our region’s need for transportation infrastructure and transit service is far from satisfied. Even in Seattle, Prop 1 and Move Seattle notwithstanding, riders continue to struggle with overcrowded buses, scant late-night service, and crumbling or nonexistent sidewalks. Now the global economy appears to be sliding toward a revenue-shrinking recession. So, when our state legislature considers a […]

This Wednesday, February 17, the Washington State Transportation Commission will discuss toll rate options for several tolled highways in the Puget Sound. Among the changes that will be discussed are the recent calls from legislators to end tolling on I-405 on evenings, weekends, and holidays. If you are in Olympia on Wednesday, you will have […]

This summary of ST3 feedback from East King County (including North King other than Seattle) is the fifth in a series of ST3 feedback summaries. See our previous coverage of Pierce County, Seattle, South King County, and Snohomish County. A future installment will look at other Stakeholder Organizations. The Eastside’s ST3 input is well coordinated. As happened last July, several Eastside […]

In the February 5 post on I-405 tolling, I described how WSDOT had agreed to changes in I-405 HOT lane operations. Those include toll-free travel for all vehicles on evenings, weekends and holidays. I should have also mentioned that changes to tolling remain subject to approval by the Washington State Transportation Commission. At this point, the […]

By the standards of most transit agency budgets, Sound Transit’s next round of rail expansion plans will be expensive. Critics, constructive or not, wonder if there’s a cheaper way. There is, in principle, if the transit agency can simply ignore other stakeholders instead of buying them off. The biggest savings comes from simply taking grade-separated […]

This is an open thread.

Many Metro and Sound Transit routes use I-90 between the Eastside and downtown. Sound Transit routes 550 and 554 and Metro routes 212 through 219 together total almost 20,000 riders daily. In less than 18 months, the ride to Seattle will change significantly during the East Link construction process. And of course, that’s just the beginning: I-90 buses will […]

At Thursday’s meeting of Sound Transit’s Capital Committee, Executive Director for Construction Management Ahmad Fazel revealed that problems with tunnel boring machine Pamela are worse than previously thought. Mike Lindblom has more of the technical details ($) in his piece filed last night. The machine had been stalled since December 28th near 47th & Brooklyn, roughly […]

CBC radio had Zach on yesterday to talk about Kevin Desmond and to compare Seattle and Vancouver. His segment begins at 1:27:40. Listen to it now.

This summary of Snohomish County’s ST3 feedback is the fourth in a series of ST3 feedback summaries. See our previous coverage of Pierce County, South King County, and Seattle. Future installments will be East King/North King (minus Seattle), and Stakeholder Organizations. Mukilteo Mayor Jennifer Gregerson’s letter states that her city’s highest priority is finishing ST2’s Mukilteo […]

Obama’s budget includes money for Lynnwood Link, Swift II, and the Center City Connector streetcar ($). The $1.2 billion for Link (out of a $2.4 billion project) far exceeds the $600m ST assumed in its planning. CCC still needs $60m. $43m for Swift II should just about cover it. The congressional outlook is optimistic. More Seattle […]

In breaking news out of Vancouver BC late Tuesday evening, Global News is reporting that Metro General Manager Kevin Desmond will be named the CEO of TransLink on Wednesday morning. Desmond will join TransLink after a tumultuous year for the agency, having lost their equivalent of an ST3 vote last July when their $7.5B CAD […]

Monday, February 15 is Presidents’ Day. The South Lake Union Streetcar is usually open on most holidays, but is closed Monday due to street work, and since there is no “peak” period on a holiday. The First Hill Streetcar will start charging fares on February 16, so get your free ride in while you can. […]

This is part of a series of posts looking at Sound Transit’s candidate projects for ST3. Sound Transit has made it clear they would like a light rail extension to West Seattle part of this fall’s ST3 vote. Not since the days of the Monorail has a rapid transit extension stirred up so much debate […]

On Wednesday morning, a small ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the intersection of Highway 99 and 204th Street SW in Lynnwood to open the newest—and final—Swift bus rapid transit station, located two blocks downhill from Edmonds Community College. Community Transit CEO Emmett Heath was joined by Edmonds Community College President Dr. Jean Hernandez and Lynnwood Mayor […]

Phoenix’s 3-mile, 3-station, Northwest extension opens the same day as U Link, March 19. This is their second extension to open. Last year Phoenix voters approved funding for 70% more bus service and 42 new miles of light rail.

With no advance warning yesterday and with a perfectly whipped caucus, Senate Republicans brought a sudden confirmation vote on WSDOT Secretary Lynn Peterson. The vote failed 25-21, with all Republicans voting no, effectively removing her from office immediately. The contentious 2+ hour hearing was filled with strong critiques of Peterson’s leadership by Republicans on the one hand, […]

Under political pressure from Republicans in the Legislature, WSDOT is paring back the express toll lanes on I-405. The lanes will be open to all drivers without tolls on evenings and weekends. In the Senate, SB 6152 passed out of committee on Wednesday. The bill emphasizes that the imposition of tolls is authorized for a […]

Ten bills dealing with affordable housing made it out of their original committee by today’s deadline. Since none of the policy committees meeting today have any housing bills before them, this is the whole list of surviving housing bills. Any of these bills that got referred next to a fiscal committee (the House Appropriations Committee, […]

This summary of South King County’s ST3 feedback is the second in a series of ST3 feedback summaries. See our previous coverage of Pierce County and Seattle. Future installments will be East King, North King (minus Seattle), Snohomish, and Stakeholder Organizations. Federal Way Short, sweet, and direct, Federal Way’s 3-paragraph letter supports Link to Federal Way via […]

Broadway businesses having second thoughts about the Aloha streetcar extension. Metro and SDOT hatching a plan to fix Route 8 on Denny. They should also look at the ideas Zach floated years ago. Three more Sounder round trips coming, plus previously deferred Kent and Auburn station access improvements. Pronto needs a bailout. Shoreline to present […]

Frank and Martin discuss the opening of the First Hill Streetcar, a rail tunnel for Ballard, the upcoming U-Link meetup, and whether the proposed Renton Transit Center is a good idea. https://media.blubrry.com/seattletransitblog/s3.amazonaws.com/stb-wp/wp-content/podcasts/STB_podcast_9.mp3

This is the first in a series of summaries of Sound Transit 3 jurisdictional feedback letters. Future installments will be South King, East King, North King (minus Seattle which we’ve already covered), Snohomish, and Stakeholder Organizations. City of Lakewood Lakewood’s letter is much as you’d expect, with a strong focus on intra-Pierce County projects. Given […]

Rep. Dick Muri (R – Steilacoom), has introducted a bill to triple the sales tax lid for transportation benefit districts, from 0.2% to 0.6%. HB 2816 will be getting a hearing in the House Transportation Committee Thursday at 3:30 pm. The bill faces a quick deadline of Tuesday, February 9 to pass out of committee. […]

Last week’s story about a new bill to switch Sound Transit to a directly elected board got a surprisingly positive reception from some commenters. It entirely escapes me why pro-transit people might have this reaction, even if they’re prone to dismiss the Sound Transit Board’s decisions as “political.” That choice of words is irritating enough — implying […]