Proposed bus service changes ready for review, comment
for Southeast Seattle & Southwest King County
Last fall, King County Metro Transit and Sound Transit gathered ideas from the public for bus service changes in 2009 and 2010 for neighborhoods in Southeast Seattle, Skyway/West Hill, portions of West Seattle, and bus routes serving areas in Tukwila, SeaTac, Burien, Kent, Federal Way, and the Tukwila Sounder station. Those suggestions have now been shaped into proposed plans for specific routes and service changes, and Metro and Sound Transit are again inviting the public to comment. All comments are due by Feb. 6.
Link light rail will begin serving many of these neighborhoods in the summer of 2009, and Metro is planning for RapidRide bus rapid transit service along Pacific Highway South in 2010. In order to maximize bus service and avoid duplicating the new express lines, Metro and Sound Transit are considering changes to some bus routes in these areas.
Highlights of the proposals now under review include:
- Routes 7 and 34 – Decrease some of the express service during peak periods that duplicate Link service, spread those express trips out more evenly, and increase evening service on the Route 7;
- Route 9 Express - Add more peak and midday service and extend the route to the Rainier Beach Link Station;
- Route 36 - Extend all trips to end at Othello Link station;
- Routes 42 and 42 Express - Replace these routes with Link service, and extend Route 8 along Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Route 8 will have more frequent peak-period service.
- Route 48 - Shorten to end at Mount Baker Link Station with more weekday evening bus service for the area.
- New Route 50 - Provide east-west service between southeast Seattle and West Seattle via the SODO district;
- Route 107 - Modify routing and improve frequency of service;
- Route 126, Route 140 & new Route 156 – Eliminate Route 126 and replace it with more service on Route 140 and the new route 156 between Tukwila/Southcenter and SeaTac via McMicken Heights;
- Route 154 – Revise to operate between Tukwila Sounder train station and Federal Center South.
- Tukwila International Boulevard Link Station & SeaTac/Airport Link Station – Revise routes 128, 129 (new), 140, 170, and 180 to provide more connections between local communities and these two transit stations. This includes replacing Route 170 with new Route 129 in north SeaTac;
- Pacific Highway South – Eliminate routes 174 and 191, and replace between Federal Way and Tukwila International Boulevard Link Station with service from the RapidRide A Line and the new Route 124, connecting Seattle and Tukwila; and
- Interstate 5 South – Revise service on routes 179, 194, ST Express 574 and ST Express 577 to reduce duplication between the bus routes and to provide connections to Link light rail.
The goal of all these changes is to better connect neighborhoods with light rail stations and RapidRide stops by updating bus service in these neighborhoods and avoiding duplication of service.
The overall list of routes that may be affected by all of the proposals are: 7, 7 Express, 8, 9 Express, 14, 32, 34, 35, 36, 38, 39, 42, 42 Express, 48, 60, 106, 107, 126, 128, 140, 154, 170, 174, 179, 180, 191, 194, ST Express 574, ST Express 577.
You are invited to stop by an information table or any of the open houses listed below to learn more about the proposed changes and talk with Metro staff about bus routes and service. Sound Transit staff will also be present to talk about Link service, Link fares, and related matters.
INFORMATION TABLES
Rainier Valley
Saturday, Jan. 17, 12-2:30 p.m., Rainier Beach Safeway, 9262 Rainier Ave. S.
Tukwila
Saturday, Jan. 24, 12-2 p.m., McMicken Heights Safeway, 4011 S. 164th St.
OPEN HOUSES
West Seattle
Wednesday, Jan. 21, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 4408 Delridge Way SW.
SeaTac
Thursday, Jan. 22, 1:30- 3:30 p.m., SeaTac City Hall, 4800 S. 188th Street.
SeaTac
Thursday, Jan. 22, 6:30- 8:30 p.m., SeaTac City Hall, 4800 S. 188th Street.
Beacon Hill
Tuesday, Jan. 27, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Jefferson Community Center, 3801 Beacon Ave. S.
Skyway-West Hill
Wednesday, Jan. 28, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Fire District 20 Training Facility, 12424 76th Ave. S.
Columbia City
Thursday, Jan. 29, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Rainier Community Center, 4600 38th Ave. S.
Federal Way
Tuesday, Feb. 3, 6:30- 8:30 p.m., Federal Way Community Center, 876 S. 333rd Street.
Rainier Valley
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 1:30-3:30 p.m., Holly Park Community Church, 4308 S. Othello St.
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Holly Park Community Church, 4308 S. Othello St.
If you need an interpreter for ASL or another language at an open house, please request this service at least five business days before the event. For events in West Seattle and the southeast Seattle area contact Sarah Luthens, community relations planner, at 206-684-1154, TTY Relay 711, or sarah.luthens@kingcounty.gov. For events in SeaTac, Federal Way and Tukwila contact Ellen Hansen, community relations planner, at 206-263-6477, TTY Relay 711, or ellen.hansen@kingcounty.gov.
Metro will review all the comments for its service, and then develop recommendations for King County Executive Ron Sims to consider. Sims is expected to develop a proposal this spring for the Metropolitan King County Council to review. Link light rail is scheduled to begin service in July. Any approved bus service changes would be phased in, and not begin any sooner than September 2009.
Printed materials are available upon request in the following languages for the southeast Seattle area: Braille, Chinese, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. These materials are also available upon request for southwest King County in: Korean, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
If you can’t attend a meeting, you can still provide feedback by Friday, Feb. 6 by:
- Filling out an online questionnaire at: www.kingcounty.gov/metro under the “What do you think?” section;
- Emailing comments regarding southeast Seattle area routes to: metro-feedback-se@kingcounty.gov;
- Emailing comments regarding southwest King County routes to: metro-feedback-sw@kingcounty.gov;
- Leaving a recorded voice message regarding southeast Seattle at (206) 684-1146, and messages regarding southwest King County at (206) 296-4511;
- Mailing written comments to: King County Department of Transportation
Community Relations
KSC-TR-0824
201 S. Jackson St.
Seattle, WA 98104
