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Home My WebLink AboutCOW 2025-07-28 Item 4A - Presentation - King County Metro South Link Connections Phase 3South Link Connections Mobility Project Presentation to Tukwila City Council July 28, 2025 1 Project Scope •Project routes – Twenty-two routes •Ten all-day routes: A Line,156,165,181, 182, 183, 187,631, 901, 903 •Twelve peak-only routes: 121, 122, 123, 154, 157,162, 177,178, 179,190, 193, 197 •Project area – Communities in ten cities and unincorporated King County •Algona, Auburn, Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way,Kent, Normandy Park, Pacific, SeaTac, Tukwila, and unincorporated areas •The project area will be the focus of community engagement and equity analyses2 3 South Link Connections Mobility Priorities Greater transit coverage Improved early morning and nighttime service Faster travel times within and beyond the project area Improved east-west transit connections Increased weekend service, especially on Saturdays 3 King County Council Phase 3 Service Proposal Phase 2 Service Concepts Phase 1 Needs Assessment Engagement Timeline – Fall 2026 Implementation Mar – May ‘24 Dec ‘24- Feb ‘25 Jul - Aug ‘25 Spring ‘26 •Develop and present service concepts based on prioritized needs •Solicit public feedback •Learn more about community priorities •Review of concepts using •Service Design Best Practices •Public Input •Equity Review •Present proposed changes to public •Explain how the design matured and what influenced the concepts •Seek feedback on ways to refine and optimize •Final equity analysis •King County Executive transmits final service network to King County Council for adoption •Final service network to Sound Transit Board for adoption •Plan for implementation and community education Partner Review Board Partner Review Board Partner Review Board •Interview community stakeholders on mobility needs and barriers •Review recent engagement in the project area •Conduct baseline equity analysis and analysis of existing service needs and barriers •Recruit Mobility Board and Partner Review Board Mobility Board Prioritizes Needs Mobility Board Reviews Recommendations Mobility Board Reviews Final Proposal4 Phase 2 Engagement 2,778 online survey engagements (1,469 answering overall question) 844 direct feedback from CBOs 19 community and governmental presentations 25 transit stop outreach shifts 2 days of bus base visits 3 virtual info sessions 53 recorded emails or comments 14 tabling events Flyers at 45+ locations Email outreach to 200+ organizations 90+ Hours of in-person outreach December 4, 2024 – February 28, 2025 5 6 Phase 2 Outreach – Tukwila •Multi-lingual text/email alerts riders on Routes 156, 193, Rapid Ride A line •2 Mobility Board members •Flyers in locations around Safeway along Military Rd, 164th through 166th St.t •Street Teams at Andover Park & Baker Blvd (Tukwila/Southcenter Mall) , Jefferson & 9th (Tukwila travelers to downtown) •Rider alerts at 4 local bus stops •2/03/25 Tukwila City Council presentation6 Phase 2 - Survey Results 49% 22% 27% 2% Overall Support for Network Positive Neutral Negative No Response Priority Populations Positive: 52% Neutral: 20% Negative: 25% 61% 56% 55% 49% 50% 19% 25% 29% 28% 28% 18% 14% 11% 19% 18% 3% 5% 6% 4% 5% Greater coverage Early morning/nighttime service Weekend service Faster travel times East-west connections Does the network advance mobility priorities? Agree Neutral Disagree No response 7 Phase 2 - Satisfaction by Route Proposals for Routes 181, 164, and 183 have the highest approval ratings among survey respondents. Proposals for Route 193, Route 162, and the Federal Way Metro Flex pilot have the lowest approval ratings among survey respondents. 69% 52% 67% 67% 52% 81% 67% 85% 66% 83% 70% 73% 70% 60% 53% 17% 19% 23% 22% 19% 6% 18% 10% 9% 12% 12% 10% 23% 26% 22% 14% 29% 9% 10% 29% 12% 15% 5% 25% 5% 18% 16% 7% 14% 24% Route 186 Route 193* Route 631 Route 156* Route 162 Route 164 Route 166 Route 181 Route 182 Route 183 Route 187 Route 903 RapidRide A Line* Auburn Metro Flex Pilot Federal Way Metro Flex Pilot Support No opinion Oppose Tukwila Routes*8 Phase 3 - Network Highlights The proposed network uses resources from removed peak-only routes to enhance all-day, all-week travel with: •Frequent service on two east-west connections •New weekend service •Easier-to-understand service: •More direct, two-way service to improve travel times •Consistent schedules on Saturdays and Sundays for all routes •Trips running earlier, later, and more often on most routes •47% more trips on weekdays •61% more trips on Saturday •Twice as many trips on Sunday •Removed peak-only routes: nine suspended routes (121, 122, 123, 154, 157, 178, 179, 190, 197), two in- service routes (162, 177)9 10 What was changed based on Phase 2 engagement Based on feedback that we heard during Phase 2 engagement, the Phase 3 network proposes: •77 more trips throughout the week, with increased frequency on five routes and earlier/later trips on eight routes compared to the Phase 2 network. •Adjustment of proposed Metro Flex service, removing Saturday service to add earlier and later weekday trips, providing better connections for work trips. •In order to fund these improvements, the Phase 3 network proposes the removal of duplicative peak-only Route 162.10 11 What we did not address at this time In Phase 2 engagement we heard: •The desire to retain peak-period bus service between the project area and downtown Seattle •As the South Link Connections project is working with a cost-neutral budget, difficult tradeoffs have to be made. Resources from the removal of peak-only routes are used to invest in the community-identified priority mobility needs and light rail will connect riders to downtown Seattle. •The desire for additional increased coverage •The Phase 3 network increases coverage with the proposed Metro Flex zones. Providing additional increased coverage would require deviating existing routes or creating new routes. With a cost-neutral budget this would mean removing service improvements that align with the community-identified priority mobility needs. 11 Impacts to Tukwila 1212 13 Impacts to Tukwila No change: F Line, Routes 124, 128, 150, 906, Tukwila Metro Flex pilot •These routes are not part of the South Link Connections project scope. No change: A Line •Was reoriented to future Link light rail stations in Spring ‘25. Remove suspended Route 154* •Removed to reinvest resources into prioritized mobility needs Reduced Route 193 •Removal of one AM and one PM trip with low ridership Revised Route 156 •Pathway simplification in McMicken Heights, extended to KDM station •Increased frequency and earlier and later trips throughout the week *route is currently suspended and not operating 13 Phase 3 Engagement14 Engagement Overview July 7th – August 31st www.SouthLinkConnections.com •Short survey •Flyers •Materials available in 15 languages:Amharic, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Dari, English, French, Korean,Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog,Tigrinya, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese •Public outreach at community meetings, events, bus stops and transit centers •Flyers at bus stops, transit centers, & on buses •Social media campaign & toolkit •Community Based Organization (CBO) partner led, culturally-specific outreach •Finalize proposal with Mobility Board •Partner Review Board feedback •City Council presentations •Direct engagement with key stakeholders •Metro-led virtual information sessions 15 16 Virtual Information Sessions Wednesday, August 6, 2025,12:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 20, 2025, 6:00 p.m.16 Community Based Organizations (CBO) Formal Partnerships Federal Way Black Collective African Young Dreamers Empowerment Program International+ outreach to more than 200 organizations 17 18 How Cities Can Get Involved •Take the survey and let us know of local events by August 31st •Share the survey, open houses, and information on your social media, in your newsletters, and with constituents. Social media toolkit provided by Metro. •Let us know of local events •Support continued participation of city staff in the Partner Review Board •Reach out to Government Relations with any questions or concerns: apleasant-brown@kingcounty.gov and gejones@kingcounty.gov 18 Thank you! Questions? 19 19