Sound Transit prepares to move forward with Bus Rapid Transit projects
Friday, February 23, 2018
The Sound Transit Board approved consultant contracts for the I-405 and SR 522 bus rapid transit (BRT) projects that will start the first phase of project development.
These BRT lines will provide fast, reliable service to people along the I-405 and SR 522 corridors, with connections to Link light rail in Lynnwood, Shoreline, Bellevue and Tukwila.
“Kenmore and the communities north of Lake Washington along SR 522 and SR 523 have worked together with Sound Transit to address the need for fast, frequent connections to locations throughout the region where our residents work, play and go to school,” said Sound Transit Boardmember and Kenmore Mayor David Baker. “We’re excited to get started on the work that will bring the benefits of BRT to our area.”
The Board Capital Committee approved a contract with David Evans and Associates, Inc. for $2,750,000 for consulting services for the first phase of the SR 522 BRT project at its Feb. 8 meeting.
BRT is a new high-capacity transit service that utilizes features such as specialized buses with multiple doors for fast entry and exit; platform-level boarding; and off-board fare payment, as well as new bus lanes and transit priority improvements, to provide fast, frequent and reliable service similar to rail on rubber tires.
Funding for the I-405 BRT and SR 522 BRT projects was approved by voters in 2016 as part of the Sound Transit 3 Plan. The two lines will connect 11 cities serving 20 BRT stations with new and expanded parking facilities and transit centers; a dedicated bus fleet, and a new bus operations and maintenance facility.
The first phase of project development will run through 2018. Staff will review the assumed routes and configurations in the ST3 Plan, known as the representative projects, and further refine the specific route, station locations, and other project elements based on additional public engagement and technical analysis.
In early 2019, the Sound Transit Board will be asked to identify a preferred alternative for both the SR 522 and I-405 project corridors, which will be followed by conceptual engineering and environmental review. In 2020, the Board will select the projects to be built after completion of environmental review. Preliminary engineering, final design and construction will follow, and service is scheduled to start in 2024.
Riders will be able to reliably travel from Lake Forest Park to downtown Seattle in 38 minutes via BRT and light rail from the future Shoreline South Link station when BRT starts service in 2024.
Learn more and sign up for alerts
Sound Transit will host public involvement opportunities in 2018 to discuss project elements including BRT stations, bus operations and maintenance facility, parking facilities, transit centers, roadway improvements, and branding. More information will be made available via project alerts.
The eight-mile SR 522 BRT route will serve the growing North Lake Washington communities with a range of enhancements to provide fast connections to Link light rail at Shoreline South / NE 145th and BRT on I-405. The project includes nine stations with additional parking at Lake Forest Park, Kenmore and Bothell; and an expanded transit center at UW Bothell.
Riders will be able to reliably travel from Lake Forest Park to downtown Seattle in 38 minutes via BRT and light rail from the future Shoreline South Link station when BRT starts service in 2024.
Learn more and sign up for alerts
Sound Transit will host public involvement opportunities in 2018 to discuss project elements including BRT stations, bus operations and maintenance facility, parking facilities, transit centers, roadway improvements, and branding. More information will be made available via project alerts.
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1 comments:
The ideas for the BRT are pie in the sky so long as the bottlenecks will continue at NE 145th Street. Until that is resolved, rapid transit will be like the rest of us: choking down into a purpose made SDOT funnel into Seattle. Further, what this language fails to address is how much land ST must acquire from property owners along the east side of Bothell Way in Lake Forest Park, between the Kidney Center and up to just south of where 41st Avenue NE connects. Further, ST has to address the undersized culverts that run underneath Bothell Way NE where McAleer Creek runs under the highway (federal lawsuit response). ST can claim these timelines but just the demand for right of way acquisition on the east side will bog the process down for years, even with highly suspect condemnation proceedings (and the inevitable lawsuits that would occur). I just wish ST, for once, would be honest about their project timelines.
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