King County leaders are applauding congressional approval of $37.5 million for two new Metro Transit RapidRide lines, including one connecting Burien, Tukwila and Renton.
The second line will travel along Aurora Avenue between Shoreline in north King County and downtown Seattle. Both are scheduled to start two years from now.
The southern line is known as Line F and the northern one is Line E
The measure passed in both the House and Senate Thursday and now goes to President Obama for his signature, according to a county press release.
“Federal funding for these RapidRide lines will provide jobs during construction, improve access to employment and commercial centers in North and South King County, and stimulate development in the future,” said county Executive Dow Constantine.
RapidRide is a unique Metro service that includes newly designed buses, shelters and signs. The distinctive red-and-yellow buses are energy efficient, low-emission hybrid vehicles with low floors and three doors for easier, faster boarding.
“Historically, South King County has had inadequate east-west transit connections,” said council member Julia Patterson, who represents Tukwila and Renton. “With these funds, Metro can provide the east-west bus service so desperately needed, with RapidRide F expected to serve 4,800 riders a day.”
Metro debuted the first of six RapidRide routes in 2010, when Line A began serving a key corridor linking Federal Way with Tukwila. This fall, Line B started between Bellevue and Redmond. Next year, the C and D lines will link West Seattle and Ballard to downtown Seattle.
Studies show the A Line has increased bus ridership by 30-40 percent in that corridor. On the Eastside, B Line ridership is projected to increase to nearly 2.2 million passenger trips a year by 2016 when compared with the regular bus service it replaced, according to the press release.
The $37.5 million will be awarded as part of a federal Bus and Bus Facilities grant program, and represents full funding of Metro’s request. The county will share some of the funding with partner cities to help construct the street improvements and transit elements inside their jurisdictions that make RapidRide successful. Funding partners for the E and F lines include Shoreline, Seattle and Tukwila.
