Sound Transit announcement.
On Dec. 8, Sound Transit launched a public engagement period for the Lakewood station access improvements project. The online open house will provide information on the types of improvements currently under study including:
- Sidewalks and curb ramps
- Pedestrian/bike activated crossing signals
- A new shared-use path west of the station
- Bike lanes
- Improved bus stops
- Improvements at the station, like additional tactile pavers and a PA system
Residents in the Springbrook neighborhood are within walking distance of Lakewood Station, which provides Sounder and ST Express bus service, but access requires walking on streets with missing or inadequate sidewalks, including the busy 47th Ave. SW overpass of I-5. Residents just west of the station on 115th St. Ct. SW are close to the station but have no direct route and have to walk a mile out of their way to get there. Further, the local bus route, Pierce Transit 206, does not stop at Lakewood Station today because of a tight turn.
The Sound Transit proposals, coordinated closely with the City of Lakewood, would remedy these issues by filling in sidewalk gaps (including widening the sidewalk on 47th Ave. SW bridge), adding a shared-use path west of the station, modifying a turn radius for buses and more.
Interested members of the public should weigh in at https://lakewoodstation.participate.online/ (website also available in Spanish and Tagalog).
In-person information is available at the following times and places:
- Wednesday, Dec. 14, 1-3 p.m.: Visit our table at Nourish Pierce County Mobile Food Bank at Clover Park Technical College, Building 5, 4500 Steilacoom Blvd. SW.
- Thursday, Dec 15, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.: Visit our table next to the Lakewood Library pop-up at City Hall, 6000 Main St. SW.
- Saturday, Dec. 17, 2-4pm: Visit our table at the Springbrook Connections holiday giveaway, 5204 Solberg Dr. SW #C.
The Lakewood Station Access Improvement project was approved by voters in 2008. In 2021, Sound Transit identified and evaluated more than 60 options for improving access to the station and around the neighborhood. At the conclusion of that phase, more than 40 improvements were advanced for further study. The agency is now conducting early design and conceptual engineering and expect to share updated information with the public in late 2022. Construction is anticipated as early as 2025, and all improvements will be complete by 2030.
Sound Transit’s Sounder S Line train service gives Pierce County residents a dependable, traffic-free commute to and from Seattle. The trip, with Wi-Fi, from Lakewood Station to Seattle’s King Street Station takes about 75 minutes.
