Transportation

Sound Transit's newly announced "enterprise initiative" is needed to respond to financial pressures expected to impact system expansion plans. But the work is expected to be broader than past financial restructures, where project delay was the most noticeable outcome.

Councilmember Maritza Rivera's last-minute proposal would require additional public outreach and documentation for light rail permit applications. The underlying bill had been intended to cut red rape. After pushback from Councilmembers Rinck and Strauss, the vote was delayed a week.

The impending start of construction of the 12.5-acre bus base in Canyon Park marks a significant milestone for the Sound Transit Stride bus rapid transit network, expected to open in phases between 2028 and 2029.

Peak-only bus lanes will be converted to all-day operation between Fremont and N 115th Street as soon as next week. The move was initially planned in response to major construction work on I-5, which has mostly been delayed to 2026 and 2027.

The unpowered tow across the I-90 floating bridge Wednesday marks a big milestone for the beleaguered East Link project. A grand opening of the 2 Line in early 2026 is highly dependent on how the next few months of testing go.

Cities in Washington will have the legal authority to create shared streets, which feature much lower speed limits and put pedestrians first, under Senate Bill 5595. Governor Bob Ferguson signed the bill into law Saturday. It will go into effect on July 27.

Summer in Puget Sound means the return of Trailhead Direct, Bicycle Weekends, Seattle's free Waterfront Shuttle, and the Hurricane Ridge Shuttle.

StarChase consists of GPS tracker launchers attached to police patrol cars that can deploy a GPS tracking tag onto another vehicle. The Seattle Police Department contends that acquiring this technology will help apprehend criminals without dangerous high-speed chases, but critics argue StarChase’s efficacy is low and deployment would expand the scope of warrantless surveillance.