"Tradition of Performance" report of transportation accomplishments
The King County Department of Transportation has released a
report of accomplishments involving its Transit, Roads, Airport and Fleet
Divisions.
As a regional transportation leader, the King County Department of
Transportation is always looking for innovative solutions to the regions
transportation challenges. These challenges have become increasing more
complex in recent years as the county's population continues to increase while
transportation funding declines.
Solutions to many of these challenges are summarized in a just completed
report, A Tradition
of Performance, produced by the King County Department of Transportation.
The report highlights the major role King County
Metro Transit,
Road Services,
King County International Airport
and the department's Fleet
Administration Division have played over the past five years in moving
thousands of people each day, whether it be by bus, on a roadway maintained by
the county or by plane or helicopter using Boeing Field. It's a big job and
one the department and its employees take pride in.
For instance, did you know that Metro increased bus service by more than
145,000 hours between 1998 and 2003, provided more than 3.4 million trips to
special events, helped fund the synchronization of 300 traffic signals across
the county and added hundreds of new park-and-ride spaces? During that same
period, the Road Services Division has been aggressively chipping away at a
$14 million bridge retrofit program, building new roads, and using technology
to increase efficiency while maintaining nearly 2,000 miles of roadway in all
kinds of weather.
If you've visited King County International Airport lately, you know the
airport, commonly known as Boeing Field, has a newly renovated terminal and is
completely supported by user fees.
And, while it may not be readily apparent to the public, the department's
Fleet Administration Division is famous in its own right for its contributions
to the environment and as one of the 100 best fleets in North America.
You can learn more about the many accomplishments contained in this report by
visiting http://www.metrokc.gov/kcdot/news/myr/. We hope this report increases
understanding of the work we do and our commitment to meeting the 21st Century
transportation needs of a growing population.
Top
 One
week into a major bus service change,
King County Metro Transit
can breathe a sigh of relief. Metro made a sizable communications
effort ensuring customers received the information and support needed
to make the change as easy as possible. In addition to a complete revision of
all service information posted on the Metro Online web site and
available through the regional Trip Planner, more than 4,000,000 new
bus timetables have been distributed throughout the county. Updated
bus schedules were posted at almost 4,000 bus stop locations, maps
were replaced at key locations and a newly produced full-color King
County transit map and rider's guide was distributed.
The downtown Seattle area saw major changes along Second and Fourth
Avenues as Metro began preparing for bus service changes that will
occur on downtown Seattle surface streets during the closure of the downtown
tunnel in September of 2005. The tunnel will be closed for two
years to retrofit for light rail use. This year, bus stops were relocated in many places, and
with the help of street teams of Metro employees, passengers were
shown their new bus stops and when necessary, new bus route numbers.
More than 160 Metro staff volunteered to work on street teams,
contributing some 564 hours of time to make the service change a
success.
A new frequent service route, Route 120, began serving downtown
Seattle, Delridge, White Center and Burien with weekday service as
often as every
15 minutes on weekdays and as often as every 30 minutes during most evening hours
and weekends. Another new route, Route 125, dubbed the "college to
college connection," began servicing Shorewood, White Center, South
Seattle Community College, and downtown Seattle, with a connection via
Route 11 to Seattle Central Community College and Madison Park. The
new routes are served by Metro's new low-floor, "clean air" buses
and Metro Customer Service has already received several customer
comments about their comfort and ease of boarding. South Seattle
Community College has also commended Metro on its new service
connecting two community colleges. In addition, Metro's facility
maintenance staff installed 17 new benches at heavily used stops and
spruced up shelters along the new routes.
As with any major service change, there are some bugs that have to be
worked out. But one week into the change, the transition is going
smoothly. Metro staff will be looking for opportunities to improve
schedules and times in the coming months so they can be implemented
during the next service change in February of 2005.Top
Roadwork Ahead:
 Here is a list of King County Department of Transportation projects that may disrupt traffic and travel in the coming weeks:
124th Avenue Northeast, in Kingsgate - Work is ongoing for
street improvements along
124th Avenue Northeast between Northeast 132nd Street and
Northeast 146th Place. A three-week road closure begins Monday,
Oct. 4.
Northeast 124th Street, north of Redmond - Work will continue
through October on the
Northeast 124th Street project between Willows Road and State
Route 202.
Edgewick Bridge, east of North Bend - The
Edgewick Bridge on 468th Avenue Southeast remains closed, and
traffic has been diverted to a temporary one-lane bridge. The
project is expected to last through mid-October.
South 277th Street, between Auburn and Kent - There will be
no lane closures, but motorists may experience periodic traffic
disruptions on
South 277th Street between the West Valley Highway and 72nd
Avenue South through October 2005 as a result of this major
reconstruction project.
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