Transportation

The 3.4-mile light rail extension will add a station at Marymoor Village, near King County's largest park, and in the heart of Downtown Redmond. The May 10 opening sets the stage for the full extension of the 2 Line across Lake Washington later this year.

With housing advocates and the Port of Seattle divided on the issue of allowing housing near Seattle's sports stadiums, councilmembers are being forced to pick sides, after Sara Nelson reintroduced the proposal earlier this month.

Raised crosswalks and flashing beacons are set to be installed this summer at Judkins Park's I-90 ramps, which are steps from the forthcoming light rail station.

Jason Slaughter of Not Just Bikes compares Utrecht, Netherlands and London, Ontario, showing how both cities became car-oriented in the mid-century era. However, Utrecht uniquely undid the damage, becoming a city highly oriented around pedestrian, bike, and transit infrastructure.

Emery previously served as the head of SDOT's traffic operations division, spearheading work on the Transportation Equity Framework and leading on the installation of adaptive signal technology on Mercer Street.

On top of recommending a focus on building homes near transit, the new report also supports a number of proposals in front of the legislature to reduce housing costs, including parking reform and rent stabilization.

House Bill 1491 would require cities to increase development capacity around train stations and bus rapid transit stops. But a contentious affordability requirement for that new development could be a sticking point.

As other states start to reassess their prioritization of expanding highway capacity in the face of ambitious climate goals and other transportation needs, Washington is still in denial mode.