Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transit topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Federal Way committee forwards King County Metro bus-stop enhancement agreement after questions about shelters
Summary
City staff told the Land Use & Transportation Committee that a proposed interlocal with King County Metro would add roughly citywide bus-pad improvements at an estimated net cost of about $293,800 after reimbursements; Metro will not install shelters until ridership reaches 25 daily boardings at a stop. The committee voted to forward the agreement to the Jan. 6, 2026 council consent agenda.
The Federal Way Land Use and Transportation Committee voted to forward an interlocal agreement with King County Metro that would add bus-stop enhancements across the city, city staff said.
John Strong, a city transportation staff member, told the committee Metro’s program lets the county coordinate with cities and include bus pads and minor stop construction in municipal overlay contracts in order to secure better pricing. "We’ll be reimbursed for all the design, all the construction, all our admin time that we put towards it," Strong said. The presentation included a map of proposed locations and an estimated net cost to the city of about $293,800 after accounting for reimbursements.
Why it matters: the work adds stops or improves existing ones on several routes and is intended to increase access to transit; committee members and a resident pressed staff about how the sites would be built and whether the enhancements would include shelters or seating.
Committee members confirmed the enhancements are mostly concrete "bus pads" and signage rather than full shelters. An unidentified project presenter said, "None of them are full shelters" and that Metro will install a shelter only when ridership at a stop meets its threshold. An additional staff speaker summarized Metro’s rule: "Metro’s policy is to not install a shelter until there’s at least 25 riders a day at that particular stop."
Resident comment raised accessibility concerns. A resident urged the committee to consider shelters or seating, saying, "If you’re disabled or if it’s raining, you’re just out in the element and nowhere to really sit or to be sheltered." Committee members discussed whether the city could add benches or request that Metro construct foundations ready for future shelters during initial work; staff said they would ask Metro but could not guarantee Metro would cover extra foundation costs.
The committee also heard that some proposed stops are tied to route restructures associated with Sound Transit and that a mix of new stops and enhancements to existing stops are included. Strong and other staff said Metro will reimburse the city for design and construction items and that construction-management costs are a percentage of the contract work.
Action: Councilman O'Kran moved to forward the proposed King County Metro interlocal agreement to the Jan. 6, 2026 council consent agenda for approval; the motion was seconded and the committee voted in favor.
What’s next: The item is scheduled to appear on the Jan. 6 consent agenda for full council action.
