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Sound Transit shows stained-glass designs for SR 522 Stride shelters
Summary
Sound Transit detailed artist Sonia Romero’s stained-glass–inspired panels for SR 522 Stride bus-rapid-transit shelters, describing standardized 2x7-foot art glass panels, Judson Studio fabrication and a construction rollout beginning late this year with installation continuing through 2029.
Sound Transit representatives on May 21 presented stained‑glass–style art panels planned for Stride bus‑rapid‑transit shelters along State Route 522, highlighting a standardized panel location and fabrication approach designed for durability and wayfinding.
Ashley Long, senior public-art project manager with the Sound Transit Art Program, told the Bothell Arts Commission the agency developed a "kit of parts" for Stride stations and created a space in each shelter for a two‑dimensional artist panel. "The individual panels are approximately 2 ft high by 7 ft wide and are located at the upper portion of the shelter above the windscreens," Long said, noting the panels are mounted high "to prevent vandalism" and framed with sacrificial clear glass on each side.
That standardized framing, Long said, lets different artists produce distinct designs that still read consistently across the system. Judson Studio, a California glass fabricator the presenters described as a family‑owned artisan shop more than a century old, was selected to translate artist artwork into the final glass panels.
Artist Sonia Romero reviewed her concept for the SR 522 corridor, which she called the "Roadie Line." Romero said the work "explores the reciprocal relationship between people and the natural environment," and uses a stained‑glass visual language and a recurring rhododendron motif to create consistent identity while giving each station a unique colorway and local theme, such as salmon imagery for river sites or kayaking and bridge motifs where appropriate.
Romero showed sample panels and explained some stations will have different numbers of panels on each side of the street; two SR 522 station designs, she said, are already in production at Judson Studio while others remain in design. Long estimated that the first shelter installations could be completed by the end of the year and that construction of the broader Stride program will continue through 2029.
Commissioners praised the clarity of the designs and asked how the art would affect wayfinding. "The art will be the clearest visual cue of where you are," Long said, adding that the standardized station architecture combined with unique art will help riders recognize specific stops.
Next steps include completing remaining station designs, finishing fabrication at Judson Studio and coordinating with station construction schedules so panels can be installed as shelter hardware is finalized.
