Downtown circulator route, traffic signal re-timing

part of new partnership

A new partnership between King County Metro Transit and the city of Bellevue will bring more bus service within the next three years.

“By combining our resources, more than 20 public and private partners are leveraging voter-approved tax dollars to generate even more transit service for King County’s residents and commuters,” said King County Executive Ron Sims. “We are the first transit agency in the country to initiate this kind of partnership, so these mark another innovative Transit Now milestone for King County.”

Sims signed the ordinance last week formalizing a total of 16 partnerships, and said over the next several years the agreements will result in four new Metro bus routes, more trips on at least 25 existing routes, and traffic improvements on city streets that will improve the speed and reliability on two RapidRide corridors for bus rapid transit service.

The partnerships are another phase of the Transit Now initiative, a 10-year bus service expansion plan approved by voters in 2006.

For Bellevue bus riders, there are two city-county partnerships that will increase transit options. By 2010, a new circulator bus route will be moving people around downtown Bellevue. Another agreement between Metro, Bellevue, and Redmond will result in traffic signal changes on city streets

Other Metro partnerships will be phased in over the next five years, and will improve connections on the Eastside and across the region for Bellevue-area residents.

The partner cities and businesses are making either direct financial contributions for at least five years or roadway improvements that speed up transit service. The partners’ financial contributions must cover at least one-third of the cost of added transit service, and the speed-and-reliability partnerships must increase transit speeds by at least 10 percent.