Ryan Packer
Ryan Packer has been writing for The Urbanist since 2015, and currently reports full-time as Contributing Editor. Their beats are transportation, land use, public space, traffic safety, and obscure community meetings. Packer has also reported for other regional outlets including BikePortland, Seattle Met, and PubliCola. They live in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle.
A proposed amendment to the next Seattle transportation levy pushes the city to build 500 blocks of new sidewalks in five years. However, SDOT says that goal likely isn't achievable without more funding and broader changes.
The feds are awarding $25 million to nearly close the funding gap for a segment of Eastrail over I-90 and $5 million to advance design on the last segment of the trail in Woodinville.
The new bridge linking Wilburton's light rail station with the neighborhood to the south also includes artwork highlighting the history of Bellevue's Japanese-American community.
The Eastside's next RapidRide isn't set to open until 2030. Pivotal decisions around how much the line will benefit riders are being made now.
When Shoreline's south light rail station opens on August 30, two major projects intended to connect riders to the station will still be under construction. They will boost station connectivity once open.
Seattle councilmembers are seeking to amend the $1.55 billion transportation levy proposal in a number of ways, including boosting sidewalk repair funds, closing a few gaps in protected bike routes, and further revamping the Ballard Avenue cafe street. Council will discuss amendments Tuesday in committee.
Bus priority on Downtown Seattle's Third Ave transit mall doesn't currently extend north of Stewart Street though most of its bus routes do. A project to add more transit priority is at risk of being delayed again.
After initially announcing an expanded schedule for Bicycle Weekends, Seattle Parks walked it back. Internal emails reveal why.