King County Metro Transit works to ease bus crowding
January 29, 2013
King County Metro Transit is gathering public input on proposed schedule and route changes to routes along the Interstate 90 corridor, including routes serving Issaquah.
The shift is meant to ease crowding and improve travel times on peak commute routes.
The routes under consideration for changes include routes 210, 211, 214, 215 and 218 — routes serving Issaquah. The list also includes Sammamish-to-Seattle Route 216 and Eastgate-to-Seattle Route 212.
King County Metro Transit aims to improve Issaquah bus service
January 22, 2013
NEW — 8 a.m. Jan. 22, 2013
King County Metro Transit is gathering public input on proposed schedule and route changes to routes along the Interstate 90 corridor, including Issaquah-bound routes.
The shift is meant to ease crowding and improve travel times on peak commute routes.
The routes under consideration for changes include routes 210, 211, 214, 215 and 218 — routes serving Issaquah. The list also includes Sammamish-to-Seattle Route 216 and Eastgate-to-Seattle Route 212.
Metro Transit identified the routes as among the busiest and most productive commuter routes in the transit network. Buses carry 5,000 to 7,000 Eastside commuters daily along the I-90 corridor to downtown Seattle and serve major transit hubs in the Issaquah Highlands, downtown Issaquah and Eastgate.
King County Metro Transit addresses crowding on Issaquah-bound route
October 16, 2012
King County Metro Transit is attempting to ease afternoon crowding on buses from downtown Seattle to the Issaquah Highlands by eliminating a Bellevue stop.
Starting Oct. 15, the transit agency cut a stop at the Eastgate Freeway Station to reduce crowding on the Issaquah-bound Route 218 buses. Metro Transit provides 15 trips on the route during the weekday afternoon commute.
Riders heading to the Eastgate Park & Ride in Bellevue can instead use alternate service on Second Avenue in downtown Seattle.
Metro Transit plans for weekday morning Route 218 buses to Seattle to continue to serve the westbound Eastgate Freeway Station.
King County Metro Transit addresses crowding on Issaquah-bound route
October 8, 2012
NEW — 6 p.m. Oct. 8, 2012
King County Metro Transit is attempting to ease afternoon crowding on buses from downtown Seattle to the Issaquah Highlands by eliminating a Bellevue stop, starting Oct. 15.
The transit agency is cutting a stop at the Eastgate Freeway Station to reduce crowding on the Issaquah-bound Route 218 buses. Metro Transit provides 15 trips on the route during the weekday afternoon commute.
Riders heading to the Eastgate Park & Ride in Bellevue can instead use alternate service on Second Avenue in downtown Seattle.
Metro Transit plans for weekday morning Route 218 buses to Seattle to continue to serve the westbound Eastgate Freeway Station.
Meanwhile, afternoon riders headed to the Highlands from Eastgate can ride Metro Transit Route 211 or Sound Transit Express routes 554 and 556.
Salmon Days Festival spawns road closures
October 2, 2012
Motorists should prepare for road closures throughout the Salmon Days Festival.
Expect closures on the following streets from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 6-7:
- Front Street from Newport Way Southwest to Northwest Gilman Boulevard
- East Sunset Way from Second Avenue Southeast to Newport Way Northwest
- Rainier Boulevard South and First Avenue Southeast from East Sunset Way to the Issaquah Community Center
- Southeast Bush Street and Southeast Andrews Street from Second Avenue Southeast to Front Street South
- First Place Northeast and First Avenue Northwest from West Sunset Way to Northwest Dogwood Street
Expect closures on the following streets from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 6 to accommodate the Salmon Days Grande Parade:
- 12th Avenue Northwest from Northwest Maple Street to Northwest Gilman Boulevard
- Northeast Gilman Boulevard and Northeast Dogwood Street from Third Avenue Northwest to Front Street North
- Rainier Boulevard North from Northwest Dogwood Street to Northwest Juniper Street.
Parking near downtown Issaquah is also a challenge during the festival, and Salmon Days visitors should consider the event shuttle.
Shuttles depart from the Issaquah Transit Center, 1050 17th Ave. N.W., Costco corporate headquarters parking lot, 11th Avenue Northwest and Lake Drive, and Issaquah Highlands Park & Ride, 1755 Highlands Drive N.E.
The cost for a shuttle is $2 round trip for adults; children 12 and younger ride for free. Parking is free at the shuttle departure points.
King County Metro Transit route changes impact Issaquah riders
September 11, 2012
King County Metro Transit riders should prepare for major changes in the weeks ahead, as the agency launches a pay-on-entry system and updates several routes.
Transit planners advised thousands of riders to expect changes on bus routes starting Sept. 29, as the agency changes bus stops on dozens of routes, shifts buses to different streets and alters schedules.
Groundbreaking for Issaquah Highlands retail complex delayed until June 26
June 19, 2012
NEW — 6 a.m. June 19, 2012
The groundbreaking ceremony for a long-planned Issaquah Highlands retail complex is delayed until June 26, project organizers announced Monday, a day before the planned event.
Executives at the highlands developer, Port Blakely Communities, and the company behind the retail complex, Regency Centers, attributed the weeklong delay to scheduling conflicts.
“This project remains a top priority for both organizations and we have every confidence that the transaction will close and construction will commence very soon,” Port Blakely CEO René Ancinas and Regency Senior Vice President Craig Ramey said in a joint statement.
The groundbreaking ceremony is planned for the corner of Ninth Avenue Northeast and Park Drive — a vacant stretch envisioned as Grand Ridge Plaza, as the project is called.
Construction could start on Issaquah Highlands retail center soon
May 8, 2012
More options to shop and dine in the Issaquah Highlands could open as soon as next year, after a landmark decision by city officials to approve a long-awaited retail complex in the neighborhood.
Regency Centers, a real estate investment trust based in Florida, intends to build the retail complex, dubbed Grand Ridge Plaza, on vacant land along Highlands Drive Northeast between Swedish/Issaquah and the Issaquah Highlands Park & Ride. Construction could start as early as next month.
The decision by the Urban Village Development Commission represents a milestone in the stop-and-go effort to add more retail options in the neighborhood. The commission — a city board to oversee large-scale projects in the highlands and Talus — OK’d the site development permit for Grand Ridge Plaza in a May 1 decision.
Growth is focus as City Council, Issaquah School Board meet
May 1, 2012
City and Issaquah School District leaders pledged coordination and cooperation as the city outlines a bold plan to add thousands of residences in the decades ahead.
Chad Magendanz
Discussion about the Central Issaquah Plan — a proposal to transform more than 900 acres near Interstate 90 and state Route 900 — and possible changes to the school district, such as redrawing boundaries for schools to accommodate population shifts, dominated the annual joint meeting April 24.
City Council and Issaquah School Board members, plus Mayor Ava Frisinger and Superintendent Steve Rasmussen and other officials, gathered at Mandarin Garden a week after school district voters approved a $219 million bond to fuel a school construction boom. The planned projects include major changes for schools in downtown Issaquah.
The groups, seated beneath red lanterns and arranged around lazy Susans, sipped tea and nibbled on fried rice and roast pork as discussion unfolded about long-term development plans. (The city hosted the meal and spent $311.24 on food and beverages.)
“Both organizations have gone from fast-growing organizations to more stable, mature organizations with different sets of issues,” Council President Tola Marts said. “So, now the challenge is how do we manage the remaining growth that we have?”
King County Metro Transit expands Issaquah bus service
February 21, 2012
Issaquah residents can expect more bus trips to Seattle under the latest King County Metro Transit service plan.
Officials added 500 hours for weekday service on Route 218 buses from the Issaquah Highlands Park & Ride to Seattle. The change comes as Metro Transit shifts more than 35,000 hours of service from lower-performing bus routes throughout the system to bolster service on high ridership routes.
King County Council members adopted the changes in a unanimous decision Jan. 30.
“This is another step in the long march towards reforming how Metro serves King County riders,” council Vice Chairwoman Jane Hague said in a statement. “Eastsiders over the course of this process are also going to see an overall increase in their service hours.”
The shift in service is also meant to address issues related to crowding and on-time performance, and add service to underserved corridors.
