Transportation

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell teased a few urbanist-minded initiatives as he delivered his annual state of the city speech on Tuesday, putting support behind a push to pedestrianize Pike Place and launched a new "Northern Lights" vision to remake Aurora Avenue. Exactly when either change would occur remains unclear.

Senate Bill 5156, approved by the Washington Senate this week, could open the door to more accessible small apartment buildings built around smaller European-style elevators, reducing overall housing costs at the same time.

Though it was amended to exclude cities with less than 20,000 residents, Senate Bill 5184 still represents one of the most robust statewide parking reform packages to move forward in any state. It now must pass the House.

Framed as a way to increase the efficiency of new transit lanes being eyed for the RapidRide K Line, the move could give transit agencies across the state less control over one of the biggest tools they have to increase speed and reliability.

Sounder commuter rail service will continue to operate on reduced schedules, with no firm timeline yet for the full restoration of service, Sound Transit said. The reductions stem from a maintenance lag revealed on Wednesday.

Dave Amos of City Beautiful dives into the history of the Public Land Survey System and how it has affected much of the United States in big and small ways.

After serving as a leader on the Sound Transit Board for 15 years, Dow Constantine revealed Friday he is seeking the job as the agency's CEO. Some transit advocates remain skeptical.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) set a new record of 52.6 million passengers in 2024, and the Port of Seattle is advancing an improvement plan to better accommodate 56 million passengers by 2032.