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.

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 University of Washington Center for Human Rights reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is still accessing state license data to aid mass deportation, despite state efforts to limit such access. Advocates are proposing several interventions to clamp down on such data breaches.

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.

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.

Washington state leaders should take action to force the closure of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement penal colony in Tacoma, which is carrying out the unlawful detention of 1500 people.

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.

With simulated light rail service across I-90 less than a month away, Sound Transit appears poised to beat its deadline of opening the full 2 Line by May 31. Simulated service will also bring increased train frequency between International District and Lynnwood, a big boost for riders.