Puget Sound Transportation Projects

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

Archive for 2011/11


Seattle On List of Most Congested Cities

From MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45305427/ns/local_news-seattle_wa/#.TsPnDvFi4sd Seattle ranked in the top 40 for issues commuting into Downtown Seattle from both the North and the South. And this is yet another reason why I ride the Sounder daily. Ben

Oregon Transit and Activity Survey

http://www.portlandtransituser.com/ Please take this survey if you live and/or use transit in the Portland, Oregon area. Ben

TriMet Getting 55 New Buses in 2012

From the Tri-Met Blog: http://howweroll.trimet.org/2011/11/16/55-new-buses-to-join-the-fleet-in-2012/ Tri-Met will be getting 55 new low floor buses that are more efficient and include air conditioning. Four of the buses will be hybrids for testing. It is always good to see upgrades happening in heavily used systems. Ben

Seattle Subways?

http://oddmart.com/2007/05/16/seattle-subways/ Oddmart has an interesting post with pictures of some planned subways for Seattle. Unfortunately none were ever built. Ben

More Vibration Issues Along University Link

From KOMO-TV: http://capitolhill.komonews.com/news/home-garden/689775-sound-transit-tunnel-work-sparks-noise-complaints-now-home-damage-concerns Some homeowners are claiming damage at their homes is coming from the tunnel being dug by Sound Transit for University Link. While Sound Transit has admitted that the supply trains in the current tunnel are causing vibrations, it seems a bit of a stretch to see any damage, especially when Sound Transit [...]

Pierce Transit May Shrink Boundaries

From The News Tribune: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/11/15/1906700/pierce-transit-may-shrink-boundaries.html Pierce Transit may shrink its boundaries, removing from its taxing areas cities it no longer serves after disastrous budget cuts. While you shouldn’t have to pay for something you don’t use, this will only make it harder to re-add service in the future. Ben

Bellevue City Council OKs Light Rail

From The Seattle Times: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2016769859_bellevuerail15m.html The Bellevue City Council has approved a route for the East Link light rail extension that runs in a tunnel through Downtown Bellevue. This is the right decision. With all the jobs on the Eastside in Bellevue and Redmond it is critical we run high capacity transit, sooner rather than [...]

Alaskan Way Viaduct Work Expanding

From WSDOT: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/News/2011/11/14_AWV-expands-work-zone.htm Work continues to finish tearing down the Southern end of the viaduct and prepare for boring the tunnel. Ben

Will Light Rail Construction Hurt Bellevue Business?

From The Seattle Times: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2016762939_railstudy14m.html A privately funded study claims that light rail construction will cause businesses to close and shoppers to avoid downtown Bellevue. However, the study doesn’t take into account the fact that most of downtown will now be in a tunnel, and its funding source is questionable. Plus the study ignores the [...]

Ferries Have Near-Perfect On-Time Performance Record

From The Kitsap Sun: http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/nov/14/washington-state-ferries-director-touts-on-time/ Washington State Ferries director David Moseley says the ferry system has a 99.2 percent on-time record. With all the problems the ferry system has faced in recent years, this is great news. The ferries provide essential service across Puget Sound and should be preserved at all costs. Ben