Transportation

Pierce County’s Tight Budget Forces Tough Choices

Pierce County is facing financial challenges that are straining budgets, leading to health department layoffs and lagging transit service levels. Federal chaos could make the problem worse in years ahead.

Sound Transit Greenlights Overnight Express Bus to Sea-Tac Airport

Late-night bus service starting March 28 will give riders with late flights at Sea-Tac more breathing room. The pilot is one element of Sound Transit's planned overnight bus network queued to launch this fall.

Katie Wilson Orders Denny Bus Lane to Help Route 8 Riders

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson rolled out two executive orders on Thursday morning, seeking to get major initiatives rolling: expanding emergency housing for homeless residents and bus lanes to speed up the Route 8 bus. Wilson has set a deadline of April 17 for a Denny Way bus lane implementation plan.
Wilson wears a black blazer and stands on the balcony outside her seventh floor office, with the downtown skyline in the background

One Week In, Katie Wilson Charts the Path Ahead

The Urbanist recently sat down with Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson to get the latest on initiatives she has cooking now that her team is in office. We touched on emergency housing, bus lanes, World Cup preparations, Sound Transit, culture change at the police department, and more.

Op-Ed: How to Close Sound Transit’s 35-Billion-Dollar Gap Without Breaking the System

Sound Transit needs a systematic strategy for closing its $35 billion funding gap. Delivering the expansions promised to voters is possible, but requires political leadership and an appetite for a sea change within the agency. A former SDOT director offers a road map.

The Pacific Northwest’s Biggest Highway Project Could be Cooked

New cost estimates on the long-planned Interstate Bridge Replacement over the Columbia River reveal a funding gap that could range from $5 billion to a staggering $13 billion, an amount that neither Washington nor Oregon is prepared to absorb. The project looks poised to meet the same fate as a similar attempt to replace the twin I-5 bridges over a decade ago.

Sunday Video: Seoul Removed Highway, Restored River, and Traffic Got Better

Jason Slaughter of Not Just Bikes showcases what Cheonggyecheon Expressway is like today, after being converted back to a creek and pedestrian pathway, including newer improvements in recent years.
A crowded northbound train unloads at U District Station with dozens waiting on the platform for the southbound train.

Seattle Braces for Downtown Light Rail Closure and I-5 Bridge Work

1 Line light rail service will be disrupted starting 10pm Friday through Sunday, January 11, as Sound Transit conducts signal work in preparation for the 2 Line extension. Stations from Capitol Hill to SoDo will be closed with replacement bus service offered. WSDOT is also launching Revive I-5 work on the Ship Canal Bridge this weekend.