Big I-405 Projects Could Be Delayed Due To Uncertainty In Olympia

RENTON, WA — State transportation leaders are expressing concern that major projects planned for the I-405 corridor might be delayed because of gridlock in Olympia. WSDOT leaders told local officials Wednesday that the I-405 express lane project between Bellevue and Renton might be delayed by a year or more.

At issue is House Bill 2132, which would allow WSDOT to combine I-405 and SR 167 toll lanes into one account, and issue $1.5 billion in bonds to, among other projects, widen I-405 and add express lanes between Renton and Bellevue.

The bill is before the House Transportation Committee chaired by state Rep. Jake Fey, D-Tacoma. But the bill may not pass this year without support from House Republicans.

"There's a dearth of bipartisan support for this," WSDOT Secretary of Transportation Roger Millar told the regional I-405/SR 167 Executive Advisory Group at a meeting in Tukwila on Wednesday. He noted that Fey had said the same on Wednesday during a speech in front of a highway group.

Lobbyists working to get HB 2132 passed, however, were more optimistic, telling the Executive Advisory Group that they were having positive discussions with House Republicans.

Without the Legislature's approval, WSDOT can't start the construction process, including issuing contracts, Millar said. WSDOT wants to complete I-405 widening and express lanes by mid-2024. But if legislation does not pass in 2019, the project would be delayed by at least a year.

Those delays would hinder other projects, like Sound Transit's bus rapid transit along I-405 and potentially King County's Eastside Rail Corridor.

The I-405/SR 167 Executive Advisory Group is made up of officials from cities and government organizations across the region. Here's what else the group discussed Wednesday:

Sound Transit Bus Rapid Transit

Sound Transit hopes to open a bus rapid transit line along the SR 509/I-405 corridor between Burien and Lynnwood by 2024. The line would run a new fleet of articulated buses along a route with about 12 stations.

Bus Rapid Transit Director Paul Cornish said that Sound Transit is in the process of planning a 700-stall parking garage in Renton at the intersection of Rainier Avenue South and Grady Way, which is just east of the SR 167 interchange.

Cornish also revealed that Sound Transit will brand BRT as STRIDE. He showed off a concept of what BRT stations might look like, but said bus stops are subject to change based on location.

New South King County Bus Lines

King County Metro's Katie Chalmers talked about the agency's plans to upgrade bus service between Auburn, Kent, and Renton. She said that a new RapidRide route — the I line — would run between those three cities along Auburn Way, 108th Avenue Southeast, and through Renton along 104th Avenue Southeast, also known as SR 515.

Chalmers also said the North Eastside Mobility project, a major realigning of bus routes in the Kirkland-Woodinville-Redmond area, could begin by March 2020. That project would delete eight bus routes (234, 235, 236, 238, 243, 244, 248, and 277) and add five (225, 231, 239, and 250). Additionally, the 255 would be realigned to stop at the University of Washington light rail station.

Eastside Rail Corridor

The 16.7-mile trail connecting Eastside cities has hit a slight snag. King County has discovered that the Wilburton Trestle (circa 1904) in Bellevue needs extra work because of the condition of the wood. The opening date for that part of the corridor has been pushed back by about six months to mid-2021.

The rail corridor also depends on the proposed King County parks levy passing. About $51 million of the proposed $810 million levy would go toward completing the ERC.