ROUTE 48 to Change...Less stops, faster service?

Here is the summary of the project description and its timeline.

Route 48 is Metro's longest route within the City of Seattle , and it provides important cross-town service all day between Loyal Heights and Rainier Beach , via the University District, Central District and areas between. This route is also one of the busiest routes in the system, serving over 11,000 rides each weekday. Currently, the service frequency runs about every 10 minutes during peak periods and 15 minutes in the midday .

The Route 48 Corridor Improvement Project is being lead by the Transit Speed and Reliability Program within King County . The project involves identifying and evaluating problem areas that cause transit delays. The project begins by consolidating bus stops that are spaced too closely and/or are at locations without signalized pedestrian crossings. Each bus stop location is evaluated separately and unique features of each bus stop are noted. Stops that have transfer points, existing art work, nearby schools and so on are given special consideration. The goal of bus stop consolidation is to provide a smoother, faster ride for our transit customers. Concentrating more customers at fewer stops will also allow us to install more improvements such as shelters, benches, or improved lighting at these remaining stops. Similar bus stop consolidation projects were implemented previously for Route 15 on 15th Ave NW , Route 522 on Lake City Way , and Route 358 on Aurora Avenue North . Once a new bus stop pattern can be identified, the project team will begin to work with Seattle Department of Transportation to improve signal timing, and implement transit signal priority when warranted.

We have begun the process of consolidating bus stops on Route 48. Due to the length of the route 48, we divided the corridor into 4 analysis segments. We will be actively soliciting input from our customers and impacted community groups before finalizing any changes to bus stops.

1. Segment 1: from NE Pacific Street in the University District to E Madison Street . Rider Alerts were posted on December 4, 2002 and the comment period will be ended on 1/24/03 . Target date for implementation is in February 3, 2003 .

2. Segment 2: from E Madison Street to S Jackson Street . Rider Alerts were posted on December 23, 2003 and the comment period will be ended on 3/24/03 . Target date for implementation is in September 29, 2003 .

3. Segment 3: from S Jackson Street to Henderson Street . Rider Alerts will be posted on 1/24/03 and comment period will be ended 3/24/03 . Target date for implementation is in September 29, 2003 .

4. Segment 4: from 15th Ave NE /Cowen Pl NE to 32nd Ave NW /Loyal Way NW. Rider Alerts will be posted on 3/31/03 and comments period will be ended on 5/21/03 . Target date for implementation is in September 29, 2003 .

For information regarding our proposed stop patterns, please visit our project website on Metro Online at http://transit.metrokc.gov and select "Route 48 Corridor Speed and Reliability Improvement". The project website contains background information, maps and details about specific bus stop changes, and is continually updated with project information as the project progresses. If you would like to receive a hard copy of the project information, please provide us with a complete mailing address so that we can send it to you by regular mail.

Please contact one of us if you have any questions or comments about this project.

Sincerely,
Irin Limargo

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