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Kent pushes multimodal streets and transit improvements; senator's office announced $80 million for RapidRide I expansion
Summary
The mayor outlined city efforts to redesign Meeker and other corridors for multimodal travel, cited a transportation master plan and said Senator Murray's office announced an $80 million federal grant to expand RapidRide service that will affect Kent.
Mayor Dana Ralph said Kent is shifting transportation priorities toward multimodal corridors and safety as part of the city's Transportation Master Plan.
Ralph highlighted the "Meet Me on Meeker" initiative to reimagine Meeker Avenue as a multimodal urban street and said city-adopted design standards (2018) and more than $23 million in state and federal funding to date support that work. She framed the effort as part of a wider move away from vehicle-first design toward complete streets that serve pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders and drivers.
The mayor also described coordination with transit agencies: "Nearly all major roads in Kent are served by some type of transit routes," she said. She noted an $80,000,000 federal grant announced by Senator Patty Murray's office to expand RapidRide I, a planned enhanced bus route that will run through Renton, Kent and Auburn with an anticipated opening in 2027. Ralph said the I Line expansion includes station and transit upgrades, more than 50 improved crosswalks and 11 new street crossings.
Ralph described safety as the primary factor in project prioritization and said the city is implementing a target-zero action plan to reduce fatalities and serious injuries. She listed existing equipment counts: 23 rapid flashing beacons, 61 school-zone flashers and three additional beacons expected this summer.
The mayor described other planning steps including an intersection study near the meeting venue and a short-range Transportation Improvement Program that ranks projects based on grant availability and level-of-service needs. She urged residents to use new crosswalk features and flagged the residential traffic-calming program that allows neighborhoods to request evaluations.
Officials said many projects rely on outside funding and interagency coordination. Specific project designs and schedules will be released through the city's project pages and grant reporting as grants are awarded.
