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.
Despite heavy attention on challenges funding transportation at the state level, shortfalls are projected to hit transit agencies and city transportation networks hardest. With few tools available to raise progressive transportation revenue at the local level, the future looks bleak without reform.
The preferred concept for an I-90 bridge in Central Issaquah would cost at least $110 million, and is seen as an essential component of creating a more connected neighborhood around a future light rail station. Councilmembers are wary about jumping in with both feet.
King County will continue offering 10 daily round trips on weekdays between Vashon and Downtown Seattle through 2027. Meanwhile, service levels on the Bremerton fast ferry are still being negotiated.
After dozens of blocks were dropped from the One Seattle housing growth plan, planner Michael Hubner downplayed the changes as minimal. The Seattle Planning Commission painted the move as pushing the city is headed in the wrong direction.
All 1 Line stations in Downtown Seattle will be closed Saturday June 21 to Sunday June 22, after Sound Transit discovered a section of rail in need of replacement near Westlake. The agency plans to run shuttle buses to bridge the gap every 30-60 minutes. Alternate transit routes may best serve riders.
An expansion of Third Avenue bus-only lanes further into Belltown had the support of SDOT and King County Metro, and was expected to save riders over 200 cumulative hours every weekday. But the project was cancelled after Councilmember Bob Kettle and some downtown business owners raised concerns.
After navigating through a number of major issues that added years of delay, the Sound Transit board is poised to adopt a new preferred alternative for Tacoma Dome Link. The project isn't slated to reach full design until 2027 and to open until 2035.
Restoring transit routes to First Avenue, after they were removed in 2011 to make way for the demolition of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, is a needed step in downtown mobility as the neighborhood enters a new era.