Council Briefing on Hybrid Link Expansion Tomorrow

There has been much discussion on the Tacoma City Council’s preferred expansion of the Sound Transit Tacoma Link. Tomorrow, the Council will hear Sound Transit’s evaluation of a hybrid corridor introduced last month that would incorporate different portions of the original proposed routes from the North End Central, Eastside, and North Downtown Central corridors.
Additionally, Sound Transit will also present information on a different hybrid option.

The Council plans to form a resolution on April 30 in support of a preferred route. For more information, visit the City Council’s website.

The Pacific Avenue Streetscape April 9 Weekly Construction Update

Construction Schedule & Progress

• Sidewalks:  The last portions of the sidewalk on the east side of Pacific Avenue between S. 9th & S.13th Street should be poured by the end of this week. 
• Curb & Gutter:  The last portions of the curb & gutter on the east side of Pacific Avenue between S. 9th & S.13th should be poured by the end of this week.
• Bulb Outs: The new bulb out on the SE corner of S. 9th Street is expected to be completed by the end of this week.  Currently this work impacts eastbound and westbound traffic on S. 9th Street.
• Rain Garden: Irrigation and concrete work is ongoing as we progress through each rain garden. The liners will be installed this week with the under drain pipes and drainage gravel placed shortly after. 
• Planters:  The planting of trees & shrubs will begin later this week.
• Vault Infill: Work on the vault infill at 1007 Pacific Avenue began a few weeks ago and is expected to be complete by the end of this month.
• Traffic Control: Traffic control and temporary pedestrian access is in place on the east side of Pacific Avenue between S. 9th and S.13th. The outside lane of northbound through traffic and the parallel parking lane is closed for construction work.
• Daffodil Parade:  The 80th Annual Daffodil Parade will be taking place this Saturday, April 13th.  The parade route will be on Pacific Avenue from S.11th through S.19th Street, with queuing along Pacific Avenue from S. 7th to S.11th, including side streets. 
• Y Run for Kids:  The YMCA will be hosting their annual Y Run for Kids this Saturday with registration beginning at 7 am and the event ending just before the Daffodil Parade.  The run begins and ends in the 1500 block of Pacific Avenue at Tollefson Plaza. 

Road Closures for Daffodil Parade

The flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping, and it is time for the 80th annual Daffodil Parade! The parade will take place this Saturday, April 13 with the following roads closed from 5 a.m to noon:
• A Street, Ninth Street to 24th Street
• Pacific Avenue, from Ninth Street to 24th Street
• Commerce Street, from Ninth Streeth to 24th Street
• East 11th Street from Market Street to Portland Avenue
• East 11th Street will be one-way eastbound from St. Paul to Portland Avenue

Impact on local freeways

The A Street and 15th Street exits from I-705 will be closed.  Schuster Parkway will remain open and Commerce Street will be accessible from the Stadium exit.  The I-705 on-ramp at Ninth Street will be open and drivers will be able to cross Pacific Avenue at SR-509 and 21st Street. 

For more information on road closures associated with the Tacoma Daffodil Parade, please call (253) 591-5932.

Opus Bank to Open Downtown

Downtown Tacoma continues to attract new businesses to the area. Irvine, California- based Opus Bank announced it will be opening a new banking office on the first floor of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce building at the corner of Pacific and 11th Street. Additional information can be found on the Business Examiner website.

Pacific Avenue Special Meeting Held Thursday

The Pacific Avenue Streetscape reconstruction is well underway. While there have been notable delays the City and the City’s contractor remain committed to completing the project this November.

In order to discuss potential changes to the project’s phasing and sequencing, gain stakeholder input, as well as answer any questions, stakeholders are invited to attend a special meeting held this Thursday, April 11 from 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. at the Tacoma- Pierce County Chamber's offices located at 950 Pacific Avenue, Suite 300 Tacoma, Washington 98401.

For more information visit the project website.

See the Murray Morgan Bridge in Action

Work on the Murray Morgan Bridge is wrapping up as the contractor performs final commissioning tests of the bridge operating equipment. During the tests, the bridge will be raised and lowered several times each day. Stop by and witness the rehabilitated bridge in action!

The Murray Morgan Bridge is located at A Street and South 11^th in downtown Tacoma. Testing will be performed Monday, March 4 through Thursday, March 7 from 6 PM until 9 PM, Friday, March 8 from 6 PM through 6 AM Saturday, March 9, and finish up Saturday, March 9 from noon to 9 PM.

The bridge will remain open to traffic during testing, however prepare for delays.

Tacoma Link Expansion Update

Today Sound Transit presented at the Tacoma City Council’s Study Session regarding the Tacoma Link expansion. We discussed the expansion and potential routes previously on the BIA blog.

From the six alternative corridors, Sound Transit identified three routes that rank the highest according to the six identified project goals. Project goals include the following:

1. Improve mobility and transportation access for Tacoma residents and visitors
2. Increase transit ridership within the City of Tacoma
3. Serve underserved neighborhoods and communities in the City of Tacoma
4. Use transit to spur economic development and other types of investments
5. Ensure that the project is environmentally sensitive and sustainable
6. Establish a project that is competitive for federal funding

The three routes were B1 North End Central, C1 Eastside, and E1 North Downtown Central. See map below.

Additionally, high ridership and economic development are top priorities for the Council. Councilman Robert Thoms noted that at a minimum, transit should move people and goods, suggesting that those particular routes that offer the highest ridership should be considered.

According to the Sound Transit review, both the B1 North End Central and E1 North Downtown Central corridors had a ridership response of 3.0- 3.5 million each year. This number assumes that Sound Transit will require a fee to ride the Link. The Link is currently free to ride.

Over the coming weeks, the Council seeks to make a route recommendation to the Sound Transit Board. If a route is identified, the environmental review will begin in May. For more information on how you may participate in the discussion, visit Sound Transit’s website.