Construction started this week on the 34 stations that will be used for the Swift Green Line, Snohomish County’s second bus rapid transit line scheduled to open in early 2019.
Swift Green Line buses will run every 10 minutes between Bothell/Canyon Park and Boeing/Paine Field along the Bothell-Everett Highway, 128th/132nd Streets and Airport Road.
The Swift Blue Line currently serves more than 1.7 million riders a year on Highway 99 between Everett and Shoreline. The two Swift lines will intersect at Highway 99 & Airport Road.
Unique and highly visible, Swift stations include weather protection, seating, lighting, a rider information kiosk, real-time next bus signs, and ticket vending machines and ORCA smart card readers for off-board fare payment.
Construction of the Swift Green Line stations will take place in stages, including the installation of underground utilities, a concrete platform, the station structure and final customer features. The stations are expected to be completed by the end of 2018.
Station work started this week on Airport Road just west of Highway 99. Four station pairs are under construction on Airport Road at Highway 99, 112th Street, 100th Street and Kasch Park Road.
When the first stage of construction is done on these stations, work will move east and south along the route. Because of the various construction stages, each site will be touched several times over the next year. Local bus stops will be relocated and drivers should expect periodic lane closures during construction.
Community Transit publishes a weekly construction newsletter detailing progress of the Swift Green Line.
Road improvements coming
In addition to the Swift stations, several road improvements are part of this project:
- An extended merge lane will be created on eastbound Airport Road just east of Highway 99.
- An extended right turn lane to Mill Creek Road will be created on northbound Bothell-Everett Highway just south of 164th/Mill Creek Road.
- An extended merge lane will be created on southbound Bothell-Everett Highway just south of 208th Street.
Pedestrian/traffic signal improvements
In partnership with Community Transit, next spring Snohomish County will create new sidewalk connections at five of the Swift Green Line stations.
In addition, new curb ramps and audio alerts will be added at intersections near Swift stations to help people with disabilities, strollers and bikes cross the street safely.
The County will also work with the Washington State Department of Transportation to introduce high-tech “smart” traffic signals along the route to improve traffic flow. The new adaptive signal control system will use real-time traffic data to improve vehicle traffic at high-volume intersections throughout the corridor. This technology will be installed before the Swift Green Line begins operation, improving traffic conditions in preparation for expanded bus service.
The Swift Green Line is Community Transit’s largest capital project in its 40-year history, bringing $73 million in transit improvements to Snohomish County. The project is funded by a $43 million federal Small Starts grant, $13.8 million in state Regional Mobility Grants and support from the 2015 Proposition 1 transit expansion measure approved by Snohomish County voters.
Other Swift Green Line construction
Two other projects related to the Swift Green Line started earlier this year.
A new Seaway Transit Center is under construction at Seaway Boulevard & 75th Street SW near the Boeing Everett plant. This facility is due to open in late 2018 and serve as a hub for Paine Field-area bus service. It will be the northern terminal for the Swift Green Line.
Also, new right-hand lanes are being created on 128th Street approaching I-5 in south Everett. There will be one new lane on each side of the freeway to help buses get across the freeway overpass quicker. The new lanes should also provide some relief to local traffic in the area. Those should also be complete in late 2018.
