King County Metro outlines South Link Connections plan; proposes new frequent Route 164 and added weekend service in Kent

King County Metro representatives on Tuesday presented South Link Connections, a proposed restructure of bus service in South King County timed to the Sound Transit Federal Way Link Extension. Metro officials said changes aim to integrate local buses with new light‑rail stations and to shift resources from low‑ridership peak routes to more frequent, all‑day service.

Nicola Gary, Metro transportation planner and project manager, told the Kent committee that the Federal Way Link Extension will add three stations — Kent Des Moines (near Highline College), Star Lake, and downtown Federal Way — as early as 2026. The South Link Connections project proposes changes to a scope of 22 routes to provide better connections to those stations, add frequent service where warranted, and increase weekend service.

Gary said the phase‑2 concept includes two new Metro Lehi pilot zones (in Federal Way and Auburn), seven routes with earlier or later trips, two new frequent services (one in Kent), and weekend improvements that Metro estimates would produce 35% more Saturday trips and about 75% more Sunday trips compared with current service. "We are proposing brand new Sunday service" on Route 183, Gary said, adding that Route 183 service would also start earlier and end later each day.

David Payne, Kent city transportation planner, introduced the presenters and said the project builds on earlier Council workshops about West Hill Link light‑rail improvements and connectivity.

Parked and peak services: Metro proposes removing 10 peak‑only routes to reinvest resources into local all‑day service. Gary noted nine of those 10 peak‑only routes are already suspended (largely as a COVID response), and the only currently operating peak‑only route proposed for removal is Route 177. For Kent, Metro proposes revising Route 162 (removing one morning and one evening trip but keeping 13 trips per day), partially replacing Route 165 with a new frequent Route 164 that would run every 15 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes on Sundays, and removing Route 157 (a suspended peak route).

Engagement and equity: Genevieve Jones, a Metro local government relations staffer, and Cristina Gonzalez, senior community engagement planner, described Metro’s three‑phase engagement process (phase 1 in spring 2024, current phase 2, phase 3 public review in summer 2025) and said Metro has held outreach at transit centers, bus stops and with community‑based organizations. Outreach materials are available in 15 languages, and Metro reported about 2,000 responses to its phase‑1 survey plus a mini‑survey collected at bus stops.

Council concerns and Metro responses: Council members asked about connectivity for riders who do not use apps, impacts on seniors, and whether the pilot Lehi zone would serve Kent riders traveling to Highline College and Green River College. Gary and colleagues said the Lehi pilot zones and new routing concepts are designed to provide connections through Kent Station to many destinations; they also noted Metro is tracking ridership data and working with partner review and mobility advisory boards. Gary said Metro plans a post‑implementation study roughly two years after changes are implemented to evaluate ridership and adjust as needed.

Next steps: Metro is collecting public feedback through Feb. 28 for the phase‑2 network and plans to return to jurisdictions with refined proposals in summer 2025 and to the King County Council for adoption in spring 2026. Metro staff invited Kent to promote the survey and to support ongoing participation by city staff on Metro advisory boards.