Transportation

Tabling a second light rail tunnel through Downtown Seattle and redesigning Ballard Link to use the existing tunnel could save $4.5 billion, and Sound Transit has been too quick to dismiss the idea, Scott Kubly argues. The money saved could reduce delays and fund important transit upgrades elsewhere.

Waterfront revamp veteran Angela Brady is taking over as Seattle's transportation department head, replacing Adiam Emery, who previously served as one of Bruce Harrell's deputy mayors. The Wilson Administration will conduct a broader search for a longer-term SDOT Director in 2026.

Rainier Avenue has too many cars traveling at dangerous speeds, but conventional planning practices make it hard to change that and design a future where Rainier Avenue thrives. Let's stop making harmful assumptions, Anna Zivarts writes.

In this short video, Hanoch Yeung of Best Side Cycling shares vignettes of Federal Way Link opening day events, some in-motion clips along the route, and elements of the station grounds at the there new light rail stations.

Sound Transit's analysis, prompted by a request from King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci, looks at ways to get to Ballard without a new tunnel under Downtown Seattle. While the potential cost savings could be as much as $4.5 billion, the idea of delaying Ballard Link even further on top of significant risk factors makes additional consideration by the board unlikely.

The board motion advanced this week asks for one final look at where fare gates would make sense in Sound Transit's light rail system before implementing a potential pilot program before the end of 2026.

The Seattle Monorail should serve local residents, not just tourists. Unfortunately, the plan to end transfer credits in 2026 will gouge local riders and discourage ridership. The City should demand that monorail honor transfers between other transit services.

Seattle is missing thousands of blocks of sidewalks. But the lower-cost sidewalk alternatives being advanced by the Seattle Department of Transportation don't always live up to what's expected in neighborhoods that have lacked basic infrastructure for decades.