Transportation

A June 15th hit-and-run crash on Lake Washington Boulevard during a Bicycle Weekend makes the case for expanding the event and improving safety features on the boulevard. The reticence of police to investigate hit-and-run collisions may also be contributing to a culture of motorist impunity.

Former Seattle permitting director Nathan Torgelson will lead the new city department, intended to advance an ambitious plan for a new bike and pedestrian bridge over I-405. One of the largest capital projects in city history, it's also intended to be a major placemaking project.

Safe Eastside, a group with a long track record of attacking facilities for people exiting homelessness, is turning its attention to major pieces of state housing reform approved in 2025. They have until July 26 to collect more than 150,000 signatures to get a repeal referendum on the ballot in Washington state.

Despite heavy attention on challenges funding transportation at the state level, shortfalls are projected to hit transit agencies and city transportation networks hardest. With few tools available to raise progressive transportation revenue at the local level, the future looks bleak without reform.

The preferred concept for an I-90 bridge in Central Issaquah would cost at least $110 million, and is seen as an essential component of creating a more connected neighborhood around a future light rail station. Councilmembers are wary about jumping in with both feet.

King County celebrated the opening of a new 2.2-mile segment of the Lake to Sound Trail in SeaTac earlier this month. When complete, the 16-mile non-motorized trail will stretch from the southern tip of Lake Washington in Renton to the shores of Puget Sound in Des Moines.

King County will continue offering 10 daily round trips on weekdays between Vashon and Downtown Seattle through 2027. Meanwhile, service levels on the Bremerton fast ferry are still being negotiated.

On June 11, Seattle officials celebrated the completion of a major overhaul of Pike Street and Pine Street, improving connectivity between Downtown and Capitol Hill. The project features planter-protected bike lanes, wider sidewalks, public art, and a one-block pedestrianization near the Market.