This Week In Transportation:
June 3, 2002
Metro's Waterfront Streetcar now "The Benson
Line"
 King County's celebration
of
the 20th anniversary of Metro's historic Waterfront Streetcar last Saturday included its
renaming as
the "George Benson Waterfront Streetcar Line."
See a
gallery of photos from the past (right) and from the event.
Transportation has always been close to the heart of George
Benson. As a Seattle City Councilmember from 1974 to 1993, and a member of the
old Metro Council, Benson took the lead on ensuring countywide bus service,
construction of the Downtown Seattle Bus Tunnel, and preservation of the
Monorail. He initiated Sunday bus
service connecting Seattle’s major parks, Pioneer Square and the Ship Canal
Locks. He negotiated the agreement with the Urban Mass Transit
Administration to rebuild and expand Metro's electric trolley system in
Seattle. In recognition of his legacy, he was inducted in 1997 into the Hall of
Fame of the American Public Transit Association.
But of all his projects, Benson is most closely
associated with Metro's
Waterfront Streetcar. It began with his dream to
reinstate the historic streetcar line. With single-minded dedication, Benson
tracked down authentic W2 Class streetcars in Melbourne, Australia and bought
them for $5,000 each. He recruited hundreds of volunteers to restore and
transport them across the Pacific Ocean. When obstacles were encountered,
Benson kept everyone on track, so to speak, and never let the project be
derailed.
Service in the Emerald City began along the 1.6-mile line on May 29, 1982, and
since then the Waterfront Streetcar has provided residents and tourists with
outstanding, convenient, fun transportation and a moving history lesson. Benson has been universally proclaimed as
the "Father of the Waterfront Streetcar;"
That's why last Saturday, at the streetcar's
20th
anniversary celebration in Pioneer Square, King County Executive Ron Sims officially
designated the Waterfront Streetcar as the "George Benson Waterfront Streetcar
Line," or more simply, the "Benson Line."
The Waterfront Streetcar
runs approximately every 20 minutes, seven days a
week. Depending on the day and time of travel, the
fare is $1.50
or $1.25 for adults and 50 or 25 cents for senior or
disabled riders with reduced fare permits. Youth fare is 75 cents at all times.
Payment of fare entitles riders to a transfer good for 90 minutes of
sightseeing. Fares may also be paid with any valid
Metro pass or transfer. Now's the time to plan your
trip by visiting Metro Online or
calling Metro Rider Information at
206-553-3000. TTY users should call 206-684-1739.
More stories
"Father
of waterfront streetcar line honored," Seattle Times, June 2, 2002
Bus service improvements start
Saturday, June 8th
•
Every day, changes occur to King County
roads, businesses and communities that impact our transportation network.
That's why Metro makes changes to bus service several times throughout the
year. The next service change is coming up this Saturday, June 8th. Our
online
Rider Alert has a summary of all the changes. Pick up a new
GREEN bus schedule and thanks for riding.
Preston Bridge repairs require
five day closure
 •
The Preston Bridge on
Southeast 86th Street will be closed from Monday, June 10 at 7 a.m. to
Friday, June 14 at 6 p.m., between 311th Avenue Southeast and 312th Place
Southeast. Repairs are being made to the bridge deck and railing. To cross the
Raging River, motorists should detour on Upper Preston Road SE.
Cedar River Trail detour
 •
Hikers and bikers on the Cedar River Trail need to
detour
around the
intersection of Southeast Jones Road and State Route 169 starting this week,
due to heavy demolition and construction being done on the
Cedar Mountain Bridge. The aging bridge is being replaced with a wider structure that will
include two eight-foot shoulders to better accommodate pedestrians and
bicyclists. Trail users will be directed to use a
temporary path. Look here for a
larger
aerial photo [Acrobat .pdf: 64K] that points out
the Trail's position relative to the bridge.
 |
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.... that more than
100
Metro trolley buses operate along 67.5 miles of two-way overhead wires
(excluding the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel)? |
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