The WSP consultancy contract for the I-405 BRT project follows approval earlier this month for consultancy work on another BRT scheme, the SR 522.
BRT is a new high-capacity transit service using specialised buses with multiple doors for fast entry and exit; platform-level boarding; and off-board fare payment. It features new bus lanes and transit priority improvements, with the aim of providing a fast, frequent and reliable service similar to rail but on rubber tires.
The aim is for the BRT lines to provide a fast, reliable service to people along the two corridors, with connections to the Link light rail service in Lynnwood, Shoreline, Bellevue and Tukwila.
The Sound Transit Board approved a contract worth US$6.424m with WSP USA for consulting services on the I-405 BRT project. In early February, the board had approved a US$2.75m contract with David Evans & Associates for consulting services for the first phase of the SR 522 BRT project.
In a related action, the board has approved a US$223,893 task order with the Washington State Department of Transportation for overall coordination during the first development phase of the I-405 BRT project.
I-405 BRT will connect communities along 37 miles of I-405 and SR 518 from Lynnwood to Burien. The project will include a new transit centre in South Renton and 11 BRT stations, three of which will include added parking. Buses will travel in managed lanes to increase speed and reliability.
The eight-mile SR 522 BRT route will serve the growing North Lake Washington communities with a range of enhancements to provide fast connections to Link light rail at Shoreline South/NE 145th and BRT on I-405. The project includes nine stations with additional parking at Lake Forest Park, Kenmore and Bothell; and an expanded transit centre at UW Bothell.
“Sound Transit’s first BRT projects will provide frequent, fast and reliable transit service to people living and working along the I-405 and SR 522 corridors, who currently experience some of the worst traffic congestion in the region,” said Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff. “BRT will reduce peak-hour transit travel time along I-405 by about 30 percent, and provide reliable connections to Link from SR 522, enabling faster trips to downtown, the airport and throughout the region.”
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