Link is coming to Capitol Hill and Husky Stadium in early 2016. Metro and Sound Transit are working with the public to plan how bus service will connect with new light rail.
During our outreach, many people have asked us how Seattle’s Proposition 1 revenues will affect the changes we’ll make to bus service after Link light rail starts serving Capitol Hill and Husky Stadium:
Do the two alternative concepts that Metro and Sound Transit are considering now reflect these revenues?
The answer is no, not yet. When developing these concepts, we needed to make sure that any changes we make to bus service will be sustainable over the long term, so we used existing service levels, without Seattle’s new investments added on top.
What is Seattle investing in, and when? What will happen with those investments if service changes?
Seattle voters approved Proposition 1 in November 2014. This measure will expand Metro service in Seattle in 2015 under Metro’s Community Mobility Contract program. The proceeds from increases in license tab fees and the Seattle sales tax will fund added service on bus routes that have 80% or more of their stops in the city. The improvements will focus on reducing overcrowding, increasing frequency, and increasing reliability.
Many of these investments will be made within the Link University Extension project area. These include improving reliability on Route 8, adding peak-hour service to Route 44, and adding evening service to Route 70.
(A complete list of the improvements is available on the Seattle Transportation Benefit District website.)
As we move forward with developing Metro’s final proposal for the University Link Extension project, the Seattle Department of Transportation will identify opportunities to complement our restructured network.