Southeast Seattle – Thanks for having your say, deadline to comment extended to Jan. 10

On Wednesday, December 9, Metro hosted an open house at the Filipino Community Center to answer questions and hear feedback about proposed changes to Routes 8 (new Route 38), 9X, 106, 107, and 124. We want to thank the twenty or so people who braved the weather to tell us what you think.

Here are some of the things we heard

• There is desire for a route that would connect Renton, Skyway, Rainier Beach, the MLK corridor, and the International District in downtown Seattle. (Proposal for Route 106)
• There is concern for some south Beacon Hill residents about losing their one-seat bus access to downtown Seattle. Some said using Route 107 and transferring to Link light rail or Route 36 would be inconvenient. Some attendees were also concerned about seniors and low-income riders having to pay twice when transferring from bus to Link. (Proposal for Route 107)
• Some attendees were also concerned about seniors and low income riders from South Beacon hill having to pay twice when transferring from bus to Link to get downtown. (Proposal for routes 106 and 107)
• Georgetown residents expressed concerns about losing direct all-day access with Renton, the downtown Seattle transit tunnel, and for employees coming to/from the neighborhood from Beacon Hill, Rainier Beach, Skyway, and Renton. (Proposal for Route 106)
• Route 9X users who attended said they love this route and don’t want it reduced. They said it provides express access through the Rainier Valley now that the 7X is gone – and they said it’s a straight shot to First Hill hospitals and Seattle Central College. (Proposal for Route 9X)
• Some shared general frustration about voting to increase taxes to keep and improve bus service, then having that service be subject to change that seems like it is not an improvement.

What’s missing

Rainier Valley residents really need better connections between the Rainier Avenue South corridor and communities east of there to Link light rail. They said it’s too hard to get to light rail doesn’t really feel like a reasonable option for some. There were ideas suggested to address these and other needs that aren’t necessarily reflected in the current proposal.

Tell us what you think – we’ve extended the deadline to comment to Jan. 10

There’s still time to comment. Metro is accepting feedback on the proposed changes until January 18. Read details of the proposal on our project website. Complete an online survey to share your thoughts.