King County Metro’s RapidRide is expanding service into Renton, Kent and Auburn, and a new federal grant of $80 million will help make the project a reality.
The RapidRide I Line will enhance the current Route 160, shaving off an estimated 20 minutes from the route.
“It’ll allow us to take one of our busiest bust routes in the entire King County and bring up frequencies, so busses are running every 10 minutes or better for most of the day,” said Pierce Canser, RapidRide Program Director.
A RapidRide trip is made faster by often utilizing red, “Bus Only” lanes, and special traffic lights timed for a faster trip.
Riders can also board at all doors on the bus.
Work on the I Line has been going on already for years, but the new federal funding allows the work to become a reality.
“There’s been a lot of growth in this area, and throughout the pandemic, we saw really strong ridership in this area,” Canser said. “There are folks who absolutely rely on this service for everyday, essential services and needs.”
Construction is set to begin in 2025 and service is planned to begin in 2027.
It’s not the only expansion planned for Metro’s RapidRide system in the coming years. The J Line (connecting downtown Seattle, the Eastlake corridor, and the University District) is under construction now. Metro is currently in the planning phase for both the K Line (Bellevue to Kirkland) and R Line (through Seattle’s Rainier Valley).
RapidRide routes tend to be Metro’s highest ridership bus routes in the entire system, according to Canser.