Transportation

Two votes next week will align the City of Seattle with Sound Transit, opening the door to West Seattle Link Extension permit applications later this year. The move comes right on the heels of an overhaul of the city's land use code's light rail provisions.

Seattle Parks and Recreation rolled out plans to add traffic calming to Lake Washington Boulevard last year. But traffic safety advocates are pushing for answers after installation of those upgrades stopped midway through without explanation.

Rollie Williams of Climate Town dives into the long history of how road congestion pricing came to be and why it provides so many social, economic, and environmental upsides for the New York region.

Kitsap Transit is planning a new fast ferry terminal on the Seattle waterfront and eyeing three potential sites, with Pier 48 the clear frontrunner. Through August 11, the agency is accepting comments to guide its study.

Summer road work means delays for bus riders, but King County Metro is seeking to design detours to minimize the pain. Some transit riders argue more mitigation is needed.

The adoption of a locally preferred alternative allows Metro to fully advance design work while seeking federal funding. Outstanding questions remain, including how bus priority will be added along a contentious segment in Houghton.

As the city prepares to celebrate the grand opening of the full Seattle Waterfront revamp, the only planned direct connection between downtown and the waterfront is set to remain uncompleted. At the center of the issue is an antiquated traffic signal.

Dave Amos explores the issue of the dearth of rapid transit expansion in the U.S. over the last half-century. He highlights some unique exceptions and the move toward light rail systems instead. Density seems a key culprit for the dearth of metro systems.