Puget Sound Transportation Projects

My thoughts on transportation in the Puget Sound area and transportation issues in general.

Archive for 2011/01


$5.50 Photo Tolling Rate for Tacoma Narrows Bridge

From KOMO-TV: http://www.komonews.com/news/local/114629199.html The commission for tolls on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge has set the photo tolling rate at $5.50. This is for drivers who do not have a Good to Go pass or who don’t pay at the toll booths. While this seems high in comparison to the $2.50 Good to Go rate or [...]

Sounder Southline Delays

Sounder Southline trains delayed by 20-30 minutes. Written from the King Street Station platform. Ben

Commute Better Around Lewis-McChord

From The News Tribune: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/01/23/1513536/commute-has-eased-around-lewis.html Northbound traffic has improved; however Southbound traffic is sitll heavy. Unfortunately this area suffers from 2 problems: the freeway is too narrow here, and due to the size of the bases there is no real alternate routing. Hopefully the funding can be found to expand Interstate 5, the Cross-Base Highway [...]

Lawmakers Offer New Ferry Plan

From KIRO-TV: http://www.kirotv.com/news/26599596/detail.html Lawmakers have proposed a plan that would make the ferry system more efficient, eliminating some perks that have increased costs. Anything that can be done to make the service more efficient, and more importantly, keep it running, is appreciated. Ben

Alaskan Way Tunnel May Threaten Old Federal Building

From KOMO-TV: http://www.komonews.com/news/local/114204659.html The bored tunnel for the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement could threaten the historic Federal Building in Downtown Seattle. It remains to be seen what the solution may be. Remember that the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel crosses under the freight tunnel in its first bored section. Ben

Sounder Station Access Study

http://www.soundtransit.org/Riding-Sound-Transit/Rider-Alerts/Sounder-Open-Houses.xml Open houses are planned for discussing access to Sounder stations: Open Houses (all 4-7 p.m.): Thurs., Jan. 20 at Puyallup City Hall, 333 S. Meridian Tues., Jan. 25 at Lakewood Boys & Girls Club, 10402 Kline St. S.W. Wed., Jan. 26 at Kent Senior Center, 600 E. Smith St. Thurs., Jan. 27 at Auburn [...]

Report: Seattle Drivers Spend Less Time in Traffic

From WSDOT: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/News/2011/01/20_TTIreport.htm Texas Transportation Institute report says that drivers in Seattle spend less time stuck in traffic than drivers in similar sized areas of the country. While possible, I have been to some of those areas and haven’t seen the traffic. On the other hand our traffic has dropped here, both due to the [...]

Marriage Proposal on Amtrak Cascades

From the Amtrak Cascades Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/AmtrakCascades John, a student at the University of Oregon and Sarah, a student at the University of Washington, used the Amtrak Cascades to see each other. John proposed to Sarah on a Cascades trip. Watch the video here. This is definitely an innovative use of Amtrak.. Ben

Ken Schram: Bad Gridlock Plan?

From KOMO-TV: http://www.komonews.com/opinion/kenschram/114210199.html State senator Mary Margaret Haugen has proposed a plan to keep heavy trucks off the Seattle express lanes during rush hours. While Ken thinks this is a bad idea, I would expand it to all roads in the Central Sound during these periods. Yes I know we have major ports here, but [...]

Amtrak Cascades Ridership Hits All-Time Record in 2010

From WSDOT: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Communications/ExpressLane/2011/01_28.htm Ridership in 2010 hit an all time high of 838,251 passengers. This goes to show how valuable the Cascades service is. Ben