Fall outreach recap

Thank you to everyone who joined us this fall to provide feedback on potential parking and access improvements for Edmonds and Mukilteo stations. We heard from nearly 500 of you at events or online – thank you for your comments and questions! 

As a reminder, we shared a list of 38 potential improvements (22 in Edmonds and 16 in Mukilteo) designed to make it easier for more people to get to the stations and ride Sounder. These ranged from new parking, to bus improvements, to walking and bicycling facilities.

Sound Transit is now evaluating seven new potential improvement projects in Mukilteo. Read more below, or download a summary of the projects, and give us your input.

What we heard

Common themes we heard from both communities include: improving bus-rail transfers is important; parking near stations is preferred; and remote parking locations are not convenient. More specifics about what we heard for each station:

Edmonds

Of the 22 potential improvements identified for Edmonds Station (download the full list), the most highly rated by survey respondents were: bus transfer timing improvements; parking at Washington State Ferries lot and Salish Crossing; station screening for wind and rain; and downtown pedestrian lighting and crossing improvements.

Sound Transit received the most comments about the City of Edmonds lot on the southeast corner of West Dayton Street and Second Avenue South, with about 90% of comments opposing the project. Most were concerned this would adversely impact ArtWorks, a community gathering place for artists. After considering public feedback and the other parking options available, Sound Transit is no longer recommending this project be considered for further evaluation. 

Mukilteo

Of the 16 potential improvements identified for Mukilteo Station, the most highly rated were: bus transfer timing, City of Mukilteo parking, adaptive signal improvements at SR 525 and Fifth Street, SR 525 multimodal pedestrian bridge, and bus stop improvements.

Read more about what we heard in the full outreach summary.

What's next

Sound Transit will consider this community feedback and share it with City Councilmembers and Sound Transit Board members to help determine which projects will advance to environmental review and conceptual design. This feedback will be considered alongside the technical analysis related to ridership, environmental impacts, and access improvements. Action by the Sound Transit Board to advance a set of projects to the next phase is planned for March. After conceptual design and environmental review is complete, the Sound Transit Board will select the project to be built for each station, which in this case is a number of specific parking and access improvements.

New Mukilteo projects under consideration

Based on feedback from stakeholders, Sound Transit is evaluating seven new potential improvement projects in Mukilteo. Each of these is described below, along with Sound Transit's evaluation. (See map below, and in the full outreach summary.) Please send any comments or questions about these potential projects to Sound Transit (emsounder@soundtransit.org) by Jan. 10.

A. Mukilteo Waterfront Promenade

This project would construct a waterfront walkway from Edgewater Beach Park to an undeveloped City property commonly known as the Japanese Gulch (which is at the east end of the Washington State Ferries project site). 

B. Second Street Streetscape Improvements

This project would construct sidewalks with planting strips on Second Street from SR 525 to Loveland Avenue to fill sidewalk gaps and meet the City's current street frontage standard as defined in the City's Downtown Business District Subarea Plan. The project would also include lighting, landscaping, and pedestrian amenities like seating. No additional right-of-way is required and there would be no impacts to on-street parking. 

C. SR 525 Bicycle Improvements (Fifth Street to 76th Street Southwest)

This project would construct a buffered southbound bicycle lane along SR 525 from 5th Street to 76th Street SW. Due to constraints along SR 525 between 5th Street and Park Avenue, alternative facilities would be constructed Downtown, including: safety improvements at 5th Street / Lincoln Avenue, neighborhood greenway improvements on Lincoln Avenue from 5th Street to 3rd Street, and widening the sidewalk in Totem Park to connect to 2nd Street. 

D. SR 525 Bicycle Improvements (76th Street Southwest to 92nd Street Southwest)

This project would construct buffered northbound and southbound bicycle lanes along SR 525 from 76th Street Southwest to 92nd Street Southwest to connect to the North Fork Trailhead. This would require widening of SR 525 and reconstruction of the existing sidewalks. 

E. Remote Parking at Saint John Mission Church

This project would explore options to lease about 50 spaces from Saint John Mission Church, which is located about a half-mile walk from the station. 

F. Parking Improvements near Mukilteo Station

Sound Transit would work with property owners near the station to provide parking at a proposed privately-funded parking structure where the current ferry holding lanes are located. 

G. Pick-Up/Drop-Off Enhancements

This project would evaluate the operations of the new pick-up/drop-off area for the Sounder Station, currently under construction as part of the Washington State Ferries project to reconstruct the Mukilteo Ferry terminal and identify any additional pick-up/drop-off options needed near the station.

Improved bus-to-Sounder timing in Edmonds

As of September 2019, Community Transit bus routes 116, 130 and 196* are timed to connect with all Edmonds Sounder trips, arriving and departing within approximately 10 minutes of Sounder departures and arrivals. With an ORCA card, your bus fare applies to Sounder. Plan your trip: www.communitytransit.org/tripplanner.

* Route 196 serves the park-and-ride lot at 828 Caspers St.