SR 522/NE 145th BRT update re entry to private property

In May 2019, Right of Entry (ROE) request letters were delivered to property owners along the SR-522/NE 145th Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project corridor.

The requests to access private property to perform field work generated a lot of conversation and some concern from potentially impacted individuals and businesses.

Sound Transit and its representatives have answered calls, emails and scheduled in-person meetings with property owners during this period. 

ROEs are voluntary agreements that allow us to perform activities such as survey work, geotechnical drilling, and noise monitoring. These activities will inform our project design and provide data for use in environmental analysis of the project under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA).

One of the project’s goals is to collaborate with local jurisdictions along the corridor to fill in the gaps of the existing business access and transit (BAT) lane system, thus allowing buses to travel more efficiently throughout the area corridor. 

Based on our fieldwork, coordination with cities and property owner, and public input, Sound Transit will finalize a conceptual design for the project. This conceptual design and environmental work will likely be complete in mid-2020.

Sound Transit’s SR 522/NE 145th BRT team meets weekly to check-in on the progress of the ROEs and to share what we are hearing from property owners and the public.

Many of the discussions we have had with property owners help us better understand how our project potentially affects the daily operations of businesses and the quality of life of residents along the corridor. Most importantly, this feedback highlights what project elements might need closer examination prior to delivering our final design. 

Our most recent conversations have surfaced community interest and concerns over:

• Traffic safety
• Access to businesses and residences
• Noise levels
• Construction impacts
• Natural environment impacts to streams or wetlands

Due to the early stage of our project, we are still developing answers to some of the detailed questions that property owners have for us. Our project team members have made themselves available to speak with any property owner/tenant that request to meet with us and will continue to do so as project develops.

We are also working closely with our partner cities to design the project, and ultimately deliver a service that is fast, frequent and reliable and connects north Lake Washington communities to the regional light rail system.

The SR 522/NE145th BRT project will change how the corridor operates, and we remain committed to working with stakeholders to ensure that we minimize our impacts as much as possible while delivering a high-quality project. 

We will continue our outreach efforts to connect with property owners and tenants along the corridor. Sound Transit will continue to listen, learn, and aim to address issues as the project is developed. 

We encourage you to reach out to us with your questions, comments and meeting requests at brt@soundtransit.org

See more project updates for SR 522/NE 145th Bus Rapid Transit