RapidRide I Line

Online open house

Welcome | What is RapidRide? | Planning timeline | What we heard | What’s happening now | RapidRide stations

Welcome!

Metro is currently refining the RapidRide I Line design. Click through these pages to learn what RapidRide I Line will look like in your community, including what station features you can expect at which stations. We’ve done significant work to assess ridership, prioritize equity, and design for speed and reliability. This is an opportunity to share with you RapidRide I line’s planning timeline and service design plans for 2025.

The open house is now closed for public comment. If you would like to provide feedback or have any questions, please email us at rapidride@kingcounty.gov or call (206) 263-9768.

We value your feedback and appreciate any comments you have made in the past. Metro will continue to use community input to further refine RapidRide I Line design plans through the beginning of service.

Use this online open house to

What is RapidRide?

Metro is working to connect the cities of Renton, Kent, and Auburn with frequent and reliable bus service. RapidRide I Line will upgrade the current Route 160, between Renton and Auburn.

Some of the expected outcomes of this upgrade include:

  • More service on nights and weekends.
  • Some bus stations will be upgraded with lighting, shelter, ORCA card readers, and real-time bus arrival information.
  • Road and sidewalk improvements that make it easier and safer to access the bus.
  • Roadway improvements that keep buses moving.

RapidRide I Line planning timeline

Metro has been planning for the RapidRide I Line since 2019. We began gathering community feedback at the beginning to inform project design.

An infographic representing milestones in the RapidRide I-Line project timeline. Milestones include engagement with community and partners to draft concepts in Spring 2019, community engagement to inform station locations, projects to improve access, and service changes in Summer 2019, and use of community feedback to inform project design from Fall 2019 to Fall 2020. King County Metro is currently gathering input on planned design. Future milestones include continued meetings with property owners and business owners and continued design of project elements in 2022, design completion and advertisement for a construction contractor in 2023, identification of a contractor and start of construction on improvements in 2024, and service for RapidRide I Line beginning in 2025.

In 2019 we confirmed the general route and benefits of a RapidRide Line through Auburn, Kent, and Renton.

In 2020 we completed preliminary design, identified most station locations, and prioritized investments for the construction.

In late 2021 we completed 60% design, confirming changes to support increased speed and reliability for the RapidRide I Line. 

We’ve stayed in contact with the community at every stage to understand community need and to learn how we can best meet the needs of people using transit in Renton, Kent, and Auburn. 

The next phases of the RapidRide I Line project are:

  • In 2022, Metro will continue to meet with property owners and business owners and will continue to design project elements needed to launch RapidRide I Line.
  • In 2023, Metro will finish the full design and advertise for a contractor for construction.
  • In 2024, Metro will identify a contractor and start construction on improvements needed to launch service.
  • In 2025, service for RapidRide I Line will begin. 

What we heard in early design

Metro asked the community for feedback to advance RapidRide I Line designs from 30% to 60% completion, and the community delivered!

An infographic representing community priorities with text bubbles and icons. Community priorities listed include transit that takes people where they want to go, faster, more reliable, and frequent bus service, service to historically underserved communities, comfortable and safe stations, connections to other transit options, and improvements to make getting to the bus station easier and safer.

What’s happening now?

The team is now refining RapidRide I Line designs and planning for construction to start in 2024.

Since Metro received community input on preliminary station locations and project improvement locations, a few things have changed:

  • Metro considered community feedback in relation to where stations will be located. In doing so, some proposed locations have shifted. For example, Metro heard concerns about the station planned at E Smith Street and Jason Avenue NE Titus Street in Kent, and suggestions to move it to a more accessible location at the nearby Senior Activity Center. Metro used this feedback to reconsider the station’s placement. In 60% design phases, Metro relocated the station to Jason in front of the Senior Center, as suggested. Similarly, Metro used public feedback to shift the station planned at 30th St NE and Auburn Way N to a location closer to critical public services, at 28th St NE and Auburn Way N.
  • Metro used community feedback to consider signal timings at intersections to make sure people have enough time to cross the street, get to their station, and safely board the bus. Feedback from a community member concerned about quick pedestrian crossing times on Auburn Way N encouraged Metro to broadly suggest signal timings of intersections affected by the RapidRide I Line to make sure people who walk, bike, or roll have enough time to cross the street.

Metro reviewed and, where possible, made changes based on community input received.

When deciding where and how to place a station, Metro thinks about the riders it serves now and the riders it may serve in the future. In some cases, anticipating future ridership, including future transit connections, helps influence where a station is placed. Check out the interactive map to learn more about how Metro considered a particular station.

RapidRide stations

Not every RapidRide station is the same. Metro is designing stations with different features to meet different needs, based on how many people we expect to use the station.

Metro’s planning process to identify features for stations included anticipated passenger numbers, speed and reliability projects, access to transfers to community services, and community feedback. The planning process may shift in the future to accommodate changes in ridership levels, access to future transit connections, and other critical long-term developments.

Click on images to see them in more detail.

A rendering of a RapidRide I Line station that might serve over 350 people per day. Station features are called out in text boxes and include: lighting, a bus station sign, trash cans, shelter, real time arrival information, an ORCA card reader, leaning rails, benches, and an electrical box.

Some stations that will serve over 350 people per day will include:

  • bench
  • bike racks
  • bus station sign
  • leaning rail
  • lighting
  • real-time arrival information
  • ORCA card reader
  • shelter
  • trash can

A rendering of a RapidRide I Linestation that might serve between 150 and 349 people per day. Station features are called out in text boxes and include: a bus station sign, lighting, trash cans, real time arrival information, benches, shelter, leaning rails, and electrical boxes.

Some stations that will serve between 150 and 349 people per day will include:

  • bench
  • bike racks
  • bus station sign
  • leaning rail
  • lighting
  • real-time arrival information
  • shelter
  • trash can

A rendering of a RapidRide I Line station that might serve between 50 and 149 people per day. Station features are called out in text boxes and include: a bus station sign, trash cans, real time arrival information, benches, shelter, lighting, and an electrical box.

Some stations that will serve between 50 and 149 people per day will include:

  • bench
  • bus station sign
  • leaning rail
  • lighting
  • real-time arrival information
  • shelter
  • trash can

A rendering of a RapidRide I Line station that might serve up to 50 people per day. Station features are called out in text boxes and include: a solar light, a bus station sign, a RapidRide station identification column, and a bench.

Some stations that will serve up to 50 people per day will include:

  • bench
  • bus station sign with solar light
  • RapidRide station identification column

A rendering of a RapidRide I Line station that might serve up to 50 people per day. Station features are called out in text boxes and include: a bus station sign and a solar light.

Some stations that will serve up to 50 people per day will include:

  • bus station sign with solar light

Stay updated

Sign up for email updates to stay engaged during this process.