Sound Transit hosting online open house about Stride bus rapid transit in Bothell on April 25

Sound Transit will be hosting a drop-in session for the Stride bus rapid transit (BRT) project on April 25 for Bothell residents to learn more about the project design. Sound Transit staff will be available to share an overview of the Stride program, as well as design updates, maps, and project renderings specific to Bothell. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about Stride, view Bothell roll plots, ask project staff questions, and take a pre-construction survey.

The drop-in session will be held on Tuesday, April 25 from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Bothell Library.

For those unable to attend the meeting, the Bothell design plans and updates are available on an online open house at https://stridebrt.participate.online and at https://www.soundtransit.org/sr522brt.

The Bothell drop-in session follows three previous sessions held last month in Lake Forest Park, Seattle/Shoreline and Kenmore. The engagement period for those jurisdictions has since been closed.

Over the next several weeks, the technical team will review submitted comments and feedback. Feedback is incorporated into the design based on feasibility and cost, among other criteria. An engagement summary will be developed with themes of what was heard during the engagement period from each jurisdiction. The engagement summary will be shared once complete along with an updated set of frequently asked questions.

The Stride program is now at 60% design. The 30% design phase was completed in 2021 and 2022. At final design, the plans are finalized and made ready for construction. Sound Transit anticipates starting construction in 2024/2025 and starting service on some lines as early as 2026/2027.

With buses running as often as every 10 minutes, Stride will be a fast, frequent, and reliable bus service connecting to light rail and to communities north, east, and south of Lake Washington. Similar to light rail service, Stride is designed for convenient travel with fast arrivals and departures, including off-board fare payment and multiple-door entry and exit. New bus lanes and transit priority improvements will help riders avoid traffic.

The S1 and S2 Stride Lines, formerly known as I-405 bus rapid transit in the project’s planning phase, will connect communities along I-405 and SR 518 from Lynnwood to Burien. S1 runs from Burien to Bellevue and S2 runs from Bellevue to Lynnwood. This new service will connect to Link light rail at Lynnwood, Bellevue and Tukwila, the S3 Stride line in Bothell, and to other transit services provided by Sound Transit, Community Transit and King County Metro.

The project includes a new transit center in South Renton and 10 Stride stations, three of which will also add parking, for a total of 1,300 new spaces. The parking at the South Renton Transit Center and at Northeast 44th Street is anticipated to be completed in 2034. The Totem Lake/Kingsgate station in Kirkland is anticipated to be completed in 2035. The Stride bus fleet will include battery electric buses (BEBs) for a cleaner, more sustainable way to travel in the region.