Senator Murray: “When we invest in public transit it means one less worry for that single mom here in Lynnwood, working long shifts who can at least count on a reliable bus service getting her where she needs to go.”
***PHOTOS OF THE EVENT HERE***
(Lynnwood, WA) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined local leaders and officials to celebrate Community Transit’s Swift Orange Line Groundbreaking event at the Lynnwood Transit Center. The total cost of the project is $80 million. Of that cost, federal funding for the project now totals $64.7 million—which includes $37.1 million in a Small Starts Grant, $6.5 million in American Rescue Plan stimulus funds and $21.088 million in additional federal funding. The project is preparing for construction beginning in April 2022 and the Swift Orange Line service is scheduled to begin in 2024.
“Public transit is always going to be a great investment for Washington state,” said Senator Murray. “We’re talking: shorter commutes, less traffic, cutting emissions, connecting our communities, and getting people where they need to go—all while creating good-paying jobs.”
“When we invest in public transit it means one less worry for that single mom here in Lynnwood, working long shifts who can at least count on a reliable bus service getting her where she needs to go. It means that young person who doesn’t have a car, can apply for that job across town because they can rely on the public transit being built here today,” continued Senator Murray. “We passed the largest investment in public transit in our country’s history through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—that’s a big deal. These investments in public transit are already making a difference and they’re going to make everyday life better for all of us.”
Community Transit is expanding the Swift bus rapid transit (BRT) network with the addition of a third line called the Swift Orange Line. The Orange Line is an 11-mile corridor that will serve McCollum Park, Mill Creek Town Center, Alderwood Mall, and Edmonds College, while connecting Swift Blue and Green lines, and light rail. Buses will arrive every 10-12 minutes on weekdays and every 15-20 minutes on early mornings, evenings, and weekends.
The Swift Orange Line will connect south Snohomish County to the region’s high-capacity transit network in 2024 when Sound Transit’s Link light rail extends to Lynnwood. The project will add approximately 2.1 acres of impervious surfaces, primarily through road widening. The Swift lines currently have the highest level of ridership in the Community Transit network.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Senator Murray helped pass included $39 billion in public transit funding to repair the nation’s transit system backlog, support clean transit options, and increase accessibility for seniors and individuals with disabilities. This included a 30% increase year over year for the Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program, which will greatly benefit future CIG projects as they enter the pipeline, including Community Transit’s expansion of the Swift bus rapid transit (BRT) network and the addition of the Swift Orange Line.
Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Washington State is estimated to receive about $1.79 billion in transit formula funding over the next five years in formula funds alone.
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