Sound Transit is collaborating with the City of Tacoma to build a better-connected network to enable more people to walk, roll, bike, and take public transit to South Tacoma Station and other neighborhood destinations. In December and January, we hosted an online open house to share updates and seek feedback on which improvements to prioritize. The online open house drew over 490 visitors.
The online open house highlighted two of the Priority 1 improvements, protected bike lanes on South Pine Street, and the South Adams Street connections. For South Adams Street, we highlighted a revised design including a shared use path on SERA Campus connecting to on-street protected bike lanes, in response to prior community feedback.
The online open house also asked for feedback regarding whether to add new parking for transit riders or prioritize walking, biking, and rolling improvements. We noted that parking at the station today is generally only 21% full, likely due to hybrid and work-from-home schedules. Over 70% of the 35 respondents preferred more improvements for walking, biking, or rolling over more station parking. We also asked for feedback on our proposed prioritization of Priority 2 improvements, and over 60% agreed with Sound Transit’s proposed prioritization.
When we published the online open house in December, we thought we could fund all the Priority 1 improvements and potentially some Priority 2 improvements. With new cost information, we expect to be able to fund a smaller number of improvements.
In the spring of 2024, we expect the Sound Transit Board to select the “project to be built,” which means selecting a list of improvements to build that fit within the financial plan estimate for the project. We will provide the date and time of the Board meeting when available. The public can comment on Board actions in person, online, or in writing.
