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Week of Mar. 19, 2007
Metro makes plans to link trolley system to light rail line In the next few years, two centuries of transit technology will connect in the Rainier Valley and Beacon Hill, when Metro’s electric trolleys begin serving the Link light rail stations now under construction.
For more than 60 years, trolleys traveling on electric wires have been the backbone of transit service within many city of Seattle neighborhoods. The electric trolleys are clean, quiet, and efficient, yet they also have enough muscle to climb the city's steep hills. Now, King County Metro Transit is planning to extend the trolley overhead wire network in Rainier Valley and Beacon Hill. These proposed extensions will allow trolleys from Southeast Seattle neighborhoods to travel to passenger stations being built along Sound Transit’s Link light rail line. Trolley-light rail connections are planned for two Link stations: Mount Baker/McClellan Street Station via Metro Route 14; and the Othello Street Station via Metro Route 36. A third connection to the Rainier Beach/Henderson Street Station via Metro Route 7 may also be considered. The proposed extension of the trolley system would require the installation of some new poles to hold up trolley wires along neighborhood rights-of-way, but existing poles would be used whenever possible to minimize the visual impact. Construction activities would include placing pole foundations, erecting poles, and stringing trolley wire. No new electrical substations would be needed, but the Othello Street project would require an underground, concrete-encased electrical duct to connect the new trolley wire extension to the existing substation. The extensions would be built in several phases before and after the start-up of Link light rail service, which is planned for 2009. The Mount Baker/McClellan and Othello Street station overhead wire extensions would be designed in 2007 and built in 2008. The extension to Rainier Beach/Henderson Street Station would be considered for implementation after 2009. Before finalizing the design for the extension, Metro is looking for public comments about these plans, and will host two open houses during the first week of April to hear what local residents and bus riders thinks. The meetings will be held:
Wednesday, April 4, from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Rainier Community Center, multi-purpose room
4600 38th Avenue S., Seattle Thursday, April 5, from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
New Holly Gathering Hall
7054 32nd Avenue S., Seattle The deadline for comments is Friday, April 13. Comments can be submitted at the open houses, emailed, or sent to:
Marnie McGrath, community relations planner
King County Department of Transportation
King Street Center, KSC-TR-0824
201 S. Jackson St., Seattle, WA 98104-3855
Starting Saturday, March 24, transit passengers will have a new location to board and exit buses at the Issaquah Park-and-Ride. It will affect passengers who ride Metro routes 200, 209, 210, 214, 269, 271, 927 and Sound Transit routes 554, 555, and 556. The park-and-ride is currently under construction. The project has reached a point where crews are ready to begin demolishing the current boarding area to construct a new bus loop. So for the next several months, the passenger loading area will be located on the far east side of the lot. Parking for transit passengers will remain the same in three locations: at the interim lot on State Route 900; the Tibbetts lot on Newport Way; and in 27 parking slots at Tibbetts Valley Park on 12th Avenue Northwest. After parking, passengers can walk to the temporary bus loading area via Northwest Maple Street or Newport Way Northwest. The driveway in and out of the temporary loading area is for transit vehicles only. Due to the different routing in and out of the park-and-ride, Metro is also closing the bus stop southbound on 12th Avenue Northwest just north of Newport Way. This is also effective March 24.
Meeting will update public on White Center corridor plans King County is hosting an open house to update the public on how the county and its partners plan to make Southwest 98th Street more inviting for pedestrians and bicycles between the White Center business district and the new Greenbridge housing area. The King County Road Services Division will host a drop-in open house on Tuesday, March 27, from 7-9 p.m. at White Center Heights Elementary School, 10015 Sixth Ave. SW, Seattle. People can stop by to check out ideas for corridor improvements and give feedback. Both Spanish and Vietnamese interpreters will be available at the open house The county has received state funding to design improvements along Southwest 98th Street that could include sidewalks and other enhancements to improve pedestrian safety, and possibly a new bike/pedestrian trail through the wetlands on the west side of Greenbridge. |
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The King County Road Services Division will hold two separate public hearings on Thursday, April 5 to gather public comments about lowering the speed limits in two areas of unincorporated King County. One set of proposals focuses on four streets south of the King County Fairgrounds in Enumclaw. The other is on two sections of West Snoqualmie Valley Road Northeast west of Duvall. The Road Services Division recently conducted a traffic study in the areas, and the analysis concluded the current speed limit should be lowered to improve traffic and pedestrian safety. The public hearings will be held at 9 a.m. for the West Snoqualmie Valley Road change and at 11 a.m. for the Enumclaw proposal. Both meetings will be held in Room 2A of King Street Center, 201 South Jackson Street, Seattle. Written comments are also being accepted through March 30. | Subscribe to DOT DashSign-up to receive an e-mail text version of "Transportation Today," along with other significant DOT news by sending an e-mail to us with subscribe King County DOT Dash in the subject line.
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