|
FTA yesterday announced a $79.7 million construction grant to King County Metro to support a bus rapid transit line that will provide fast, frequent, and reliable service between the cities of Renton, Auburn, and Kent, located south of Seattle. The grant for the new RapidRide I Line, which will feature rebranded “green” hybrid electric buses, was funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
King County’s RapidRide I Line will improve travel times and the rider experience over a heavily traveled King County Metro bus line by providing nearly two miles of exclusive bus-only lanes and transit signal priority. The BRT will also include off-board fare payment, all-door boarding, and weekday service every 10 to 15 minutes during the day.
The 17-mile route will have 41 new stations and will improve rider connections in the regional system, including the RapidRide F Line, Sound Transit buses, and Sounder commuter rail. The I Line will be the 10th to open as part of the RapidRide network, adding to a robust regional BRT system with current daily ridership of about 63,000 trips.
The federal support for the estimated $168.5 million project comes from FTA’s Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program, which helps communities carry out transformational transit projects.
|
