Unique partnership brings Sound Transit's ST Express to Issaquah Highlands

Monday, Sept. 29 will be an important day for Sammamish Plateau commuters as Sound Transit extends its ST Express Route 554 weekday bus service to a new interim Issaquah Highlands Park-and-Ride lot.

"We're very excited about this extension of service," said Sound Transit Board Chair and King County Executive Ron Sims. "Two years ago, 71 percent of Issaquah Highlands residents voted to bring Sound Transit services to their burgeoning community. That's an overwhelming majority of voters who asked for better transit services on the plateau. They asked for it, and we're delivering."

The new park-and-ride will be served by 68 ST Express Route 554 buses daily, including 34 westbound trips and 34 return trips. The project was made possible by a partnership between Sound Transit, King County Metro, the City of Issaquah and Port Blakely Communities, the developer of Issaquah Highlands, a unique urban village community located directly off of I-90.

"In addition to owning - and leasing to Sound Transit - the property for the park-and-ride, Port Blakely Communities has been a powerful advocate for all the transit-related development in this area," added Sims. Port Blakely is leasing the property to Sound Transit for a dollar a year.

"The park-and-ride lot will provide a convenient location for residents of the Sammamish Plateau to leave their vehicles and catch ST Express service to Seattle," said Sound Transit Board Member and Bellevue City Councilman Chuck Mosher. "It is another example of Sound Transit helping people make connections throughout the region."

The interim lot will remain open until September 2005, when it will be replaced by a permanent 1,000-car park-and-ride garage located directly north of the interim site. King County Metro will develop the permanent garage.

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Sound Transit plans, builds and operates regional transit systems and services to improve mobility for Central Puget Sound.