The City of Mountlake Terrace would like the community to know about potential funding to make connecting to the Transit Center and future light rail station safer and easier. Please consider participating in the Sound Transit online open house before it closes on August 23.
The city requested $500,000 from the Sound Transit System Access Fund for the Mountlake Terrace Veterans Memorial Park Trail Light Rail Connector project for design and construction of an illuminated ADA pedestrian asphalt pathway through the park adjacent to the Mountlake Terrace Transit Center. This project will connect the Transit Center to the redeveloped Town Center and Civic Campus in Mountlake Terrace by improving the existing dirt trail.
Sound Transit seeks public comments from riders and residents on the applications submitted for this funding. Sound Transit has rated the Mountlake Terrace project as one of three “highly recommended” applications in Snohomish County and our community’s input is strongly desired.
Since parking at the Transit Center is typically full as well as parking on side streets, this walking path enables a more direct and safer route for commuters to the Town Center and the neighborhoods. Lighting, safety and accessibility are often noted as reasons the trail is underutilized. The pathway is included in the 2015 Recreation, Park and Open Space Master Plan and a result of two decades of public meetings on the plan. The public will be encouraged to participate in the design process for the pathway.
The System Access Fund is a major piece of the $100 million Sound Transit 3 System Access Program that is divided equally between the five Sound Transit District sub-areas ($20 million per subarea). It is intended to fund projects such as safe sidewalks, protected bike lanes, shared use paths, improved bus-rail integration, and new pick-up and drop-off areas. The current call for projects makes available up to $10 million per subarea between 2019 and 2025.
Applications are evaluated on a number of factors including connectivity, equity, safety, human health, and customer experience. The Sound Transit Board’s decision is based in part on public comments received in addition to policy and technical factors. General information on the fund is at www.soundtransit.org/system-expansion/creating-vibrant-stations/connecting-to-stations/system-access-fund.
The System Access Fund Online Open House is available at https://systemaccessfund.infocommunity.org/ and closes on Friday, August 23.
###