Following a personal call from Federal Transit Administration Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams, Community Transit CEO Emmett Heath has pushed the button to accept a $43.2 million grant to complete funding for the Swift Green Line.
The Swift Green Line is Snohomish County’s second bus rapid transit route and will provide 10-minute bus service between Bothell/Canyon Park and Boeing/Paine Field when it opens a year from now.
The current Swift Blue Line between Everett and Shoreline is Community Transit’s most popular route, carrying 5,500 riders a day.
“At times it has felt like we were running a marathon, but we’ve finally crossed the finish line,” said Heath. The Swift Green Line grant, funded by the FTA’s Capital Investment Grants program, was authorized by Congress a year ago, but had not been executed until now.
Due to special FTA authorization, Community Transit has begun construction of the 34 Swift Green Line stations along Airport Road, 128th Street and the Bothell-Everett Highway. The overall project also includes a new Seaway Transit Center near the Boeing Everett plant, new bus lanes approaching the I-5 overpass in south Everett, and three road extensions along Airport Road and the Bothell-Everett Highway. The grant also funds the purchase of 13 Swift buses.
“Residents and visitors in Snohomish County know the importance of transit in reaching their jobs, schools, and homes,” said Williams. “FTA is proud to support this project to increase mobility and build for the future.”
