Route 14 is one of several Metro routes facing charges in 2009 or 2010. | Metro Transit is also seeking public comments about proposed 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. All comments are due by Friday, 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. There are still several open house meetings where people can learn more about the proposed changes. Visit Metro Online and look under the “What do you think?” heading to get information about the ideas, the upcoming meetings, or to fill out a questionnaire.
Debris jam on the Tokul Creek Bridge, causing water to spill over the roadway. |
Now that the post-flood emergencies have settled down, engineers for the King County Road Services Division have a better idea of how the county’s 185 bridges survived the high waters and roiling rivers.Overall, 14 King County bridges were damaged by the early January floods. Most of the bridges were immediately repaired and stayed open, but there are still some long-term repairs to complete. Currently, there are two bridges with traffic restrictions in place. At the Tokul Creek Bridge on Southeast Fish Hatchery Road near Snoqualmie, repairs were needed on both the bridge and the road. First though, county crews had to remove a massive logjam beneath the 85-foot long bridge. They removed approximately 2,200 yards of timber from under the bridge – that’s about 220 dump trucks of material to help visualize the sheer magnitude of the debris. The western abutment of the bridge needed to be rebuilt, which washed out when water was diverted from the creek by the logjam. And, the road east of the bridge was also washed out. Local residents are using a temporary one-lane gravel road until the road can be permanently repaired. There was also erosion damage to Fifteen Mile Creek Bridge on 240th Avenue Southeast between Issaquah and Hobart. A repair plan is still being worked out, but one lane of the bridge remains open. Even though there was some fairly severe damage during this first flood of 2009, it could have been much worse. This flood was bigger than ones in 1990 and 2006. But, in both of those years the damage to the bridge inventory was much more severe and expensive to repair. “All of the recent bridge replacements that have been completed have made our inventory more reliable and resilient to floods,” said Road Services Division Director Linda Dougherty. “The new Tolt and Mt. Si bridges are perfect examples of locations where we used to have flood problems and now have few, if any. And our newest short span bridges in the Lower Snoqualmie Valley also fared very well.” |
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Metro Transit is reminding customers that bus fares for adults will increase by 25 cents starting Sunday, Feb 1. A two-zone trip taken during peak-commute times will cost $2.50, a one-zone trip $2.00, and the off-peak fare will be $1.75. New monthly passes will reflect the increase in adult fares. There is also a fare increase for Access transportation customers. Youth and senior/disabled fares will not change.
This fare increase is one of several measures being undertaken by Metro to help maintain its existing system. A weak economy, record fuel prices in mid-2008 and falling sales tax revenues have resulted in a significant budget shortfall for the agency. These factors have also forced Metro to cut costs.
For more information, visit Metro Online.
Rideshare Online Supervisor Syd Pawlowski (far right) and Project Manager Andrea Maillet receive the award from King County Executive Ron Sims (left) and King County Councilmember Dow Constantine (center). | As part of King County’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, Metro Transit’s Rideshare Operations received the Group Humanitarian Award. King County Executive Ron Sims bestowed the award in recognition of Rideshare’s success in expanding commuter van service to low-income wage earners. Sims said the Metro group’s efforts to reach out to a previously under served community demonstrated the county’s commitment to Dr. King’s vision. During 2008, Rideshare Operations took advantage of federal funding changes governing vanpools, and developed a “virtual voucher” fare-assistance program. Sixteen vanpool groups were formed among low-wage employees who previously had a difficult time with commuting options and costs. |
Since voters approved King County Metro’s 
