This week, the first light rail car crossed the I-90 bridge during a test run, marking a huge milestone in our progress of connecting the 1 Line to the 2 Line and the first time in the world that light rail has crossed a floating bridge. This was a truly historic moment. On the heels of two new stations opening in Redmond two weeks ago, it’s another step towards realizing the dream of a dramatic expansion of our public transit system and it represents a significant engineering achievement, too. I’m so proud to see many years of effort becoming a tangible outcome that will positively impact the lives of thousands of King County residents and visitors.
Sound Transit followed up on their announcement last week with a blog post that the I-90 connection will likely open in early 2026, rather than later this year as previously forecast. While we have much more work to do as we push toward a truly world-class mass transit system for our region, I’m celebrating this week’s milestone and giving thanks to all the people who have worked on this project and to everyone across the region who has supported that work for so long. And I can’t wait to ride that first train across the lake!
On Sunday, I joined hundreds of people at the celebration of State Senator Bill Ramos’ life. As we all were, I was shocked by his sudden passing last month and my heart goes out to his loved ones, including his wife and my colleague, King County Councilmember Sarah Perry. Bill was a champion for our forests and natural resources, tribal partners, and all marginalized communities. He was kind, steady, and joyful, offering a uniquely warm and service-oriented style of leadership to his constituents in the 5th Legislative District and all Washingtonians. He was deeply loved and is deeply missed.
On Monday, May 26, we will observe Memorial Day to honor and thank all those who have died in service to the United States. First observed in 1868 and known as Decoration Day to honor Union soldiers of the Civil War, what is now called Memorial Day has continued for generations and has become a time to remember the military servicemembers who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
VFW Post 2995 and American Legion Post 161 will be holding their traditional Joint Veteran Memorial Day Ceremonies at their Redmond location (4330 148th Ave NE, Redmond) from 11:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Join them to honor our departed veterans from both posts, with a memorial service, reading of their names, and potluck lunch. I hope to see you there.
 The King County Council joined by Vicky Clarke and Rachel Schaeffer from Cascade Bicycle Club for the Bike Everywhere Month proclamation
Making it safe and easy for people to travel without a car can help us lower the cost of living, while also fighting climate change. That's why, on Tuesday, we proclaimed May as Bike Everywhere Month.
Bike Everywhere Month has been holding in-person and virtual events to bring our community together and celebrate biking. There are still a few more events for you to attend before the end of the month, but any type of bike riding--whether it's commuting to work, biking with friends and family, or just riding to enjoy the spring weather--is a great way to honor Bike Everywhere Month. I hope to carry forth the spirit of Bike Everywhere Month and continue building a region where biking is an enjoyable, practical option during every month of the year.
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