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Week of Feb. 25, 2008
Metro teams up to deliver more Transit Now service
Metro route 180 | In a first-of-its-kind public-private investment aimed at keeping people moving, King County Executive Ron Sims is recommending 16 innovative partnerships to bring more Metro Transit bus service to communities stretching from Auburn to Shoreline. The proposed $14.5 million annual investment marks the first time cities and major businesses all across the county have come together on such a large scale to help fund major transit expansion. Together, the partnerships will add more than 132,000 service hours to support new transit routes and more frequent trips on more than 25 existing routes to better serve commuters. After a comprehensive competitive process, Executive Sims is recommending partnership service agreements for Seattle, Auburn, Bellevue, Federal Way, Issaquah, Kent, Redmond, Renton, Sammamish, and Shoreline. These partnerships follow an initial service agreement last year with Children's Medical Center. That partnership is delivering expanded service on two bus routes serving Northeast Seattle residents and Medical Center employees, patients and visitors. Recognizing the unique and individual transit needs of cities and businesses, Metro created the Service Partnership Program to build on the countywide investments promised as part of Transit Now, a 10-year service expansion plan approved by voters in 2006. The proposals not only invest in more transit service to serve rapidly expanding employment centers, they will also allow Metro to stretch its Transit Now dollars even further to better serve the public.
Metro route 14 | Metro is recommending that the partnerships be phased in over a six-year period beginning this fall. Fourteen proposals involve direct contributions from partners offering to pay at least one-third of the cost of the new service, while two proposals come from cities willing to invest in street improvements that boost transit speeds by at least 10 percent. When all the partnerships are in place, Metro will invest $9 million annually with its partners contributing a total of $4 million. If the county council approves the agreements, Metro will add service on 25 existing routes in the coming years. Among the first projects are: • More service on nine Seattle routes serving the Central District, Capital Hill, Wallingford and Fremont; • A partnership between the cities of Sammamish, Redmond, Issaquah and the Microsoft corporation to increase weekday peak service on the Route 269 serving neighborhoods from Bear Creek to Issaquah; • A partnership between the cities of Renton and Kent to add midday service on the Route 153; and • A partnership between the city of Redmond and Microsoft to continue the Route 644 between Kenmore and Redmond after state funding runs out in September 2008. In addition to more frequent service, Metro is recommending four new bus routes be created in the coming years, including: a new Route 913 connecting residential areas with downtown Kent; a new shuttle providing peak-hour service between Lakeland Hills and Auburn Station; a new circulator in downtown Bellevue; and a new route connecting Seattle’s First Hill to Colman Dock, King Street Station, and International District Station. More information about Transit Now and the partnership proposals are available online.
Metro proposes new and revised Kent, Eastside service Metro is hosting two community open houses on Wednesday, Feb. 27 to gather input on separate proposals to revise bus service in two rapidly growing areas. In the Kent East Hill area, Metro wants to start new Route 157 to provide more trips and a faster connection between that area and downtown Seattle. The meeting will be held Wednesday from 7-9 p.m. at East Hill Friends Church, 22600 116th Ave. SE, Kent. The other proposal involves a series of revisions in East King County to Metro routes 209, 214, 922, and 929, plus the addition of new Route 215 with direct service between North Bend and Seattle. That open house will be held Wednesday from 6-7:30 p.m. at Fall City Elementary School, 33314 SE 42nd St., Fall City. Comments for both proposals will be collected at the meetings. Or, people can submit feedback online, by phone, or by mail. For more details, visit Metro Online.
King County Sheriff Sue Rahr (left) presents Sgt. Jim Laing with the Medal of Valor. | King County Sheriff Sue Rahr honored two Metro Transit Police (MTP) deputies and one former Metro deputy at a ceremony Friday, February 22nd at the King County Criminal Justice Training Center in Burien. Deputy Tim Shook received the Lifesaver Award for his bravery in rescuing a missing hiker on November 20, 2006. Shook, along with two other crew members, spotted the collapsed hiker from their Guardian One helicopter. The team hovered the helicopter six feet above the Pratt River in the Cascades, a dangerous but necessary maneuver in order for team member, Sgt. Sydney Jackson, to jump to a large boulder and get to the hiker. Deputy Patrick McCurdy was honored as Deputy of the Year. McCurdy played a vital role in transferring policing responsibilities for the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel back over to Metro when it reopened in September. McCurdy’s nomination also noted that he ‘comes to work every day with an attitude of making a positive difference for Metro, Metro customers, and members of the Metro Transit Police.’ Finally, former MTP deputy Sgt. Jim Laing was given the Medal of Valor, the highest award given out by the Sheriff’s Office. Laing was off-duty when he encountered an armed robbery in progress. The victim had already handed over cash and credit cards to the suspect. Laing drew his weapon and identified himself as a police officer. After the suspect turned and pointed his gun, Laing shot the suspect twice mortally wounding him. The suspect was a convicted felon with an outstanding warrant. |
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New bus fares starting March 1 King County Metro Transit is reminding customers that bus fares for adults will increase by 25 cents starting Saturday, March 1. A two-zone trip taken during peak-commute times will now cost $2.25, a one-zone trip $1.75, and the off-peak fare will be $1.50. New monthly passes also reflect the increase. The Metropolitan King County Council approved the bus fare increase last year to help maintain Metro’s existing system. It is the first bus fare increase since 2001. Fuel costs have tripled and operating costs have risen significantly during those seven years. The increase is being phased in. On July 1, fares for youth, and senior/disabled off-peak travel will increase by 25 cents. Also in July, Access monthly passes increase to $18. For more information, visit Metro Online.
A successful quick fix on Newport Way
The Newport Way sinkhole | Torrential rains in December left a challenging problem behind on Newport Way in the Eastgate area for the King County Road Services Division. The storm triggered a 15-foot-deep sinkhole after an old culvert underneath the busy roadway began crumbling. The culvert was 60 feet below the road surface that is crisscrossed with numerous underground utility lines, making it impossible to dig up without extraordinary effort and expense.
Crews position the slip-liner for replacement. | Instead of excavating, county crews inserted a slightly smaller high-density polyethylene pipe into the failing culvert to serve as a temporary liner and prevent immediate collapse. This is called “slip-lining,” and allows the county to make a quick fix while engineers design a more permanent solution such as a large box culvert or small bridge. The Newport Way slip-lining project was completed last week. | 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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