Passage of ST3 means funding for local projects

Sound Transit Light Link rail train
Photo courtesy Sound Transit

What began as a collaborative effort between north Lake Washington cities and the 522TransitNow! Coalition to advocate for three projects along SR 522 – an area neglected in the original ST3 draft proposal – will become a reality thanks to voter approval of the ST3 proposal.

In 2015, the cities of Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, Bothell and Woodinville worked together to align transit priorities. Members of the coalition spent countless hours attending Sound Transit meetings and spreading awareness about the ST3 process around the community.

Three ST3 projects along the North Lake Washington corridor include:

1. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on SR 522 and NE 145th Street to connect to the future light rail station at NE 145th St. and I-5. This 8-mile BRT project would design and implement BRT on NE 145th/SR 523 from the Link station at I-5 to SR 522, with BRT treatments continuing on SR 522 to UW Bothell, and with connecting service at lower frequencies to Woodinville. This project is anticipated for completion in 2024.
2. Parking structures along SR 522 to encourage and enable access to transit. Access improvements include 300-space parking garages near Lake Forest Park (1), Kenmore (1) and Bothell (1). This project is anticipated to be completed between 2019-2024.
3. Study for future light rail along the 522 corridor. This study would examine options for expanding light rail transit connections across northern Lake Washington that may be needed when ridership demand exceeds available capacity.

In addition, after adding parking in Puyallup and Sumner, Sound Transit will also expand parking in Edmonds and Mukilteo for the Sounder Train along Puget Sound.

Additional information on ST3 here