Eastside

The City of Redmond cut the ribbon on the Redmond Central Connector trail on Friday. The trail's final 1.6-mile segment opened earlier this summer, finally connecting Downtown Redmond directly with the 42-mile Eastrail corridor that will ultimately stretch from Renton to Snohomish County.

With the long-awaited inaugural "live wire" test successful, Sound Transit will continue tests on the Lake Washington bridge for another 10 to 12 weeks, followed by several months of running empty trains. Monday's test was a crucial milestone to stay on track for a full 2 Line grand opening next spring.

Kirkland Councilmember Penny Sweet makes the case for why Shilpa Prem should be her successor on Council. The Urbanist Elections Committee agreed and endorsed Prem, too.

Cities around the region are starting to grapple with greater accountability for creating more affordable housing, in the wake of a far-reaching decision impacting Mercer Island. Bainbridge Island and Clyde Hill provide an early look at those conversations.

Planned 4 Line light rail would stop well short of urban cores in Kirkland and Issaquah and not open until the 2040s. This makes bus rapid transit a better fit that can be deployed more quickly and economically, Oliver Chen argues.

More than 300,000 riders used the 2 Line in July, a 47% increase over June. Averaging more than 10,000 daily riders, the 10-station line rivals the busiest King County Metro routes in terms of usage.

With monthly ridership now exceeding 200,000 on the 2 Line, Downtown Redmond Link has clearly kicked things into a higher gear. Having a light rail station so well integrated into a growing urban neighborhood is likely part of the recipe for success.

Three new all-day bus routes and one peak-only route will launch on the Eastside at the end of the month. These King County Metro changes are the latest step toward a frequent bus network on the Eastside that will be more fully implemented when Sound Transit's 2 Line crosses Lake Washington in 2026.