Issaquah mayor encourages Bellevue leaders on successful light rail pact
December 6, 2011
The decision to run a light rail line through downtown Bellevue came after some public urging from Issaquah Mayor Ava Frisinger and other Eastside leaders.
Bellevue City Council members, after a contentious, monthslong debate, approved a pact Nov. 14 between the city and Sound Transit to build the long-envisioned East Link light rail route.
Frisinger and other mayors said inaction on the agreement or a failure to reach a deal could have jeopardized light rail expansion to Issaquah and other cities.
City Council candidates, unopposed in election, outline goals for future
November 29, 2011
Though most City Council seats appeared on the November ballot, voters faced a choice in a lone race — the contest between incumbent Joshua Schaer and challenger TJ Filley. (Schaer claimed a second term in a landslide.)
The other seats up for election did not attract challengers, so incumbents Fred Butler and Stacy Goodman, plus newcomer Paul Winterstein, coasted through campaign season. The next council is due to settle into office in early January.
Prepare early for Thanksgiving closures, schedules
November 22, 2011
NEW — 6 a.m. Nov. 22, 2011
Thanksgiving means turkey — and reduced bus schedules and closures at public buildings.
King County Metro Transit and Sound Transit buses and trains operate on special holiday hours Thursday for the holiday.
Metro Transit operates on a Sunday schedule for Thanksgiving and on a reduced weekday schedule Friday.
The reduced weekday schedule features more bus service than on weekends, but less service than on regular weekdays.
Sunday schedules apply for all ST Express buses and Link light rail routes on Thanksgiving. Sound Transit offices close Thursday and Friday.
Issaquah, Eastside mayors urge Bellevue leaders to act on light rail
November 8, 2011
NEW — 12:30 p.m. Nov. 8, 2011
Issaquah Mayor Ava Frisinger joined other Eastside mayors to urge the Bellevue City Council to reach a deal for light rail through downtown Bellevue.
Otherwise, if Bellevue and Sound Transit leaders cannot reach a pact, light rail expansion to Issaquah and other cities could be jeopardized.
“Each one of us would like to see light rail come to our city,” the mayors wrote in a letter dated Nov. 3. “The decisions made by Bellevue now will impact when our communities will see the benefit of the regional investment in light rail.”
The letter from Frisinger, Kirkland Mayor Joan McBride, Mercer Island Mayor Jim Pearman and Redmond Mayor John Marchione came days before the Bellevue council votes on a pact to bring light rail to downtown Bellevue.
Bill for Interstate 90 bridge reaches $6.7 million
November 1, 2011
The bill for the pedestrian and bicyclist connector across Interstate 90 is costing Issaquah $450,000 more than city leaders budgeted for the project.
City Administrator Bob Harrison (right) and Mayor Ava Frisinger lead Issaquah and regional officials across the Interstate 90 pedestrian bridge Oct. 26. By Greg Farrar
The total budget for the project is about $6.7 million, up from the $6.2 million set aside to complete the bridge across the interstate at state Route 900. The budget increase accommodates engineering expenses, construction cost and construction management cost increases, and legal and permitting fees related to the connector.
The change increases the amount of city dollars used in a project approved in part because the federal government and Sound Transit offered to cover substantial costs.
Construction delays and other issues — such as using off-duty police officers for traffic control near the construction site — caused costs to mount. The city set aside about $314,000 as contingency funds for the project, but the overruns caused the project to exhaust the backup dollars.
Eastside transportation leaders oppose tolling initiative
October 25, 2011
Local elected officials on the Eastside Transportation Partnership agreed to oppose Initiative 1125, Tim Eyman’s tolling initiative, days before ballots started to reach voters.
I-1125 calls for the Legislature to approve tolls rather than the appointed state Transportation Commission. The initiative also aims to prohibit different toll rates for peak commute times and to require toll revenues to be put toward projects on the road being tolled.
On Oct. 14, less than a month before Election Day, Eastside Transportation Partnership members heard from Bellevue developer and I-1125 supporter Kemper Freeman and I-1125 opponents, former state Secretary of Transportation Doug MacDonald and Deputy King County Executive Fred Jarrett.
Then, members discussed the presentations and voted to oppose the initiative.
The partnership includes elected city and King County officials representing communities east of Lake Washington. The organization is focused on advocacy for regional transportation issues.
Issaquah Mayor Ava Frisinger and Councilman Joshua Schaer serve on the partnership. Issaquah Councilman Fred Butler, a Sound Transit board member, is the partnership’s Sound Transit representative.
Issaquah’s representative on the King County Council, Kathy Lambert, is another member. So, too, is King County Executive Dow Constantine.
Deal keeps popular One Bus Away transit app moving
October 25, 2011
Local transit agencies and the University of Washington agreed Oct. 12 to keep a popular transit app up and running.
The future of the app, One Bus Away, had been uncertain, because the original developer, a UW graduate student, had moved on to the private sector. The app tells people when a bus is expected to arrive at a stop — in real time.
King County Metro Transit, Sound Transit, Pierce Transit and the university agreed to fund up to $150,000 to further develop and maintain the app for 13 months.
One Bus Away is available on the Internet, for iPhone and Android devices, and as text message alerts.
The app is used by thousands of transit riders to plan trips through the region. The service is used more than 50,000 times per week.
Eastside transportation leaders oppose tolling initiative
October 20, 2011
NEW — 8 a.m. Oct. 20, 2011
Local elected officials on the Eastside Transportation Partnership agreed to oppose Initiative 1125, Tim Eyman’s tolling initiative, days before ballots started to reach voters.
I-1125 calls for the Legislature to approve tolls rather than the appointed state Transportation Commission. The initiative also aims to prohibit different toll rates for peak commute times and to require toll revenues to be put toward projects on the road being tolled.
On Oct. 14, Eastside Transportation Partnership members heard from Bellevue developer and 1-1125 supporter Kemper Freeman and I-1125 opponents, former state Secretary of Transportation Doug MacDonald and Deputy King County Executive Fred Jarrett.
Then, members discussed the presentations and voted to oppose the initiative.
In a recent guest column for The Issaquah Press, Eyman said, “I-1125 ensures accountability and transparency.”
Alaskan Way Viaduct closure could impact Eastside traffic
October 19, 2011
NEW — 4 p.m. Oct. 19, 2011
The impending Alaskan Way Viaduct shutdown could cause traffic congestion to ripple far from the Seattle waterfront, transportation officials said days before the aging structure closes.
The state Department of Transportation plans to close the viaduct from 7:30 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Oct. 31 as crews demolish viaduct sections, build a bypass at the southern end and construct a southbound off ramp.
The planned closure is the longest ever for a Seattle-area highway. The viaduct serves almost 110,000 motorists each day — and roads throughout the region could clog as commuters seek alternate routes.
Major congestion is all but certain on Interstate 5 during the shutdown. The gridlock could spill over onto Interstate 405 and along Interstate 90 toward Issaquah during peak commutes.
Issaquah, Port of Seattle candidates answer questions
October 13, 2011
Councilman Fred Butler (right) answers a question as council candidates (from left) TJ Filley, Joshua Schaer, Stacy Goodman and Paul Winterstein listen during a candidate forum Thursday. By Warren Kagarise
NEW — 11:30 p.m. Oct. 13, 2011
Candidates for local and regional offices offered prescriptions for counteracting the ailing economy and educating a 21st-century workforce at a forum Thursday.
Organized by The Issaquah Press and moderated by Publisher Debbie Berto, the forum attracted candidates for City Council, Issaquah School Board and Port of Seattle Commission.
The candidates, gathered at the King County Library System headquarters in Issaquah, answered questions in 40-minute sections organized by race.
