Bus stops in Bellevue, Redmond getting RapidRide makeover

Published 12:54 pm Friday, April 8, 2011

King County Metro Transit will soon be renovating many bus stops and shelters in Bellevue as work begins on the RapidRide B Line. Current bus routes will continue to serve those stops – or nearby temporary stops – during construction.

The B Line is scheduled to start service in October between Bellevue and Redmond via Crossroads and Overlake. It will offer frequent, fast, and reliable service throughout the day.

RapidRide service features new buses designed for faster boarding and exiting; new stations with real-time bus arrival signs; faster fare collection; and a transit signal priority system.

Construction of the facilities for the B Line begins this month, including sidewalk work and foundations for new shelters and customer information signs. Work begins in Bellevue and proceeds towards Redmond over the next six months. At the RapidRide bus stops, existing shelters will be removed, but they will be replaced with new RapidRide shelters once site work is complete. Temporary bus stops will be established and safe pedestrian paths will be maintained while the work is completed.

Metro will also be working on Rapid Ride’s “intelligent transportation systems.” This involves installing new equipment at existing signalized intersections and upgrading fiber optic systems along the corridor to enable RapidRide buses to communicate between traffic signals, electronic signs and other equipment.

Destinations along the RapidRide route include Overlake Hospital, neighborhoods along Northeast Eighth Street, the Crossroads area, the Overlake area and Microsoft campuses, neighborhoods along 148th Avenue Northeast north of NE Northeast 40th Street and downtown Redmond.

RapidRide also will stop at the Bellevue, Overlake, and Redmond transit centers, connecting with buses serving the Eastside, Seattle, south King County, Lynnwood, Everett and other places.