Intercity Transit’s (IT) board of directors authorized engineering firm KPFF to design and plan improvements for 157 bus stops.
The agency previously tasked KPFF, its on-call engineering firm, to conduct a feasibility review of the 157 bus stop improvements in 2023.
The new task order includes engineering design, survey, permitting, and bidding and construction support.
The bus stops to be improved are located as follows:
The improvements will vary in complexity based on the proposed improvement, the bus stop’s existing condition, and engineering constraints.
IT categorized 33 bus stops as “very complicated,” which could involve the construction of curb extensions and/or but stop islands, as well as adjustments to existing lanes, utilities, and/or drainage.
Another 23 stops are considered “moderately complicated," meaning they necessitate construction of concrete pads, sidewalk extensions, curb walls, retaining walls, and/or drainage modifications.
About two-thirds of the improvements, or 101 to be exact, are classified as “less complicated” and would only need limited enhancements such as new concrete pads.
The project only deals with improvements for existing bus stops and does not cover the construction of new sidewalks if they currently do not exist, said Mark Steepy, the principal at KPFF.
Steepy added that in planning for these bus stop improvements, they noticed that several existing curb ramps are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. He said that the city of Olympia has contacted them about improving the companion ramps on the opposite side of the bus stops, which IT staff is open to considering.
KPFF aims to complete the design phase by the end of this year and begin construction in 2025. This process would require the review and approval of each jurisdiction involved in the project.
U.S. Rep. Marilyn Strickland secured nearly $2 million ($1,825,950) for the project as part of her community project funding request in the 2023 omnibus spending bill.
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FordPrefect
Intercity Transit is projected to cost $154.8M to operate this year. Almost $90M of that comes from sales tax. For our money we have the privilege watching mostly empty buses roam around town 24/7 burning “clean” biodiesel at about 8 mpg. Some folks really do need a ride. I submit that dial-a-lift vans or ride share vouchers would be a better use of our resources.
https://www.intercitytransit.com/sites/default/files/2023-12/IntercityTransitAdoptedBudget2024.pdf
Saturday, August 10 Report this
davidlee
It could be that dial-a-lifts and ride-shares could be better.
And it could not be. It's complicated.
By far the largest cost for transit is labor, and the labor cost has to be paid no matter the size of the vehicle.
Saturday, August 10 Report this
sonshi
I did the rough math for two of the most recent years numbers were available. Based on 'rides provided' vs overall cost, it came out to over $50 per ride.
As noted by others, my observation is that a significant # of seats on these shiny polished buses are empty at a given time.
I'm not in the minority of taxpayers who will rarely, if ever use the buses. It would take an hour+ to get to the main areas for groceries, etc. When I drive by many of the stops along the way, let's just say most do not look 'safe'. They can polish them up all they want, but as long as it's free hobo transport many of us are going to prefer to drive.
Sunday, August 11 Report this
Somney
This is nice. I’ve been trying to find ways to use the bus to go to work. I feel like driving a single car is wasteful and especially on the good weather days I find it grounding and a break from my normal routine.
Sunday, August 11 Report this
pbaron1902
I hope included in this plan is the rather simple step of making sure a bus stop location is big enough to provide a
safe distance from traffic for the rider while awaiting the bus. Not doing so creates a serious liability issue for Intercity Transit.
Tuesday, August 13 Report this
Somney
to pbaron1902,
I agree. when I lived on the East Coast I would take the bus while in grad school. One time as I approached a bus stop, I was about 100 feet away from the stop and saw a car jump the curb and hit the sign. The stop was at a busy "stroad" with sidewalks but a lot of stores, traffic, entering and exiting commercial storefronts. The car demolished its front-end and the bumper or cover dragging as it sped away. If I had been earlier and the car hit me it would have not been a good day, instead I was gifted with schadenfrude watching a likely distracted driver limp away their busted vehicle.
Yes, please. Improved stops increase safety for riders.
Monday, August 26 Report this