While drivers flooded Seattle's streets to make their way around the region's closed highways, a group of people advocated for lidding Interstate 5 to hide the highway and dampen the noise.

#OnThisDay in 1970, Jimi Hendrix played Sicks' Stadium, his final Seattle show. historylink.org/File/21126

We are seeing traffic building more, especially before the closure points on I-405, & along detour routes in Kirkland & Renton. -3 mile backup on NB I-405 in Renton -1.5 mile backup on SB I-405 in Kirkland Expect very heavy traffic on detour routes & city streets. Plan ahead!

As more journalists are driven out of their jobs, I keep hearing this drumbeat of "it's ok -- they can start their own newsletter or publication." Some can. But becoming your own business is a huge job, and will eliminate many talented reporters from the public sphere. Here's why. (1/5)

At some point in the not too distant future, someone will bike from Alki Beach in West Seattle, by the industrial monoliths on Harbor Island and through the hullabaloo of downtown, all the way to Smith Cove, without once interacting with traffic. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

WA gas taxes go up this week, largely to cover soaring construction costs of freeways already begun. A concise history by @nickdeshais.bsky.social: www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Multnomah County Archives have a high-quality scan of the 1943 trolley map found on the reverse of a map of Vanport that was given to residents of that ill-fated city. It's a one-color version of the full-color map that was issued in May of that year. multco.access.preservica.com/uncategorize...

After over a year of neglect, I finally updated my Seattle Transit Map! September will mark the tenth anniversary of the map. The website itself needs work but the new layer is now online. seattletransitmap.com/app/

30 minutes in 30 seconds! Here is the timelapse from setting the bow truss for the Children of the Sun Trail pedestrian bridge across the Spokane River earlier today. It took two cranes to set the 300,000-pound steel structure.

When work begins next month on Interstate 5 for some long-awaited repairs and maintenance, lanes will be closed, speed limits lowered and more than one driver will look for a different, faster and more convenient route through North Seattle. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

The controversial bill would, if approved, represent one of the most significant changes to housing density policy in Seattle in at least the last decade.

Floating bridge sighting on Lake Washington.

NEW: Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is on a quest to bring back the Blue Dogs- The Democratic congresswoman's strategy of appealing to working class rural moderates won her Washington's 3rd District. Will it work anywhere else? For @cascadepbsnewsroom.bsky.social www.cascadepbs.org/politics/202...

"On Monday morning, drivers still drove through, despite two small, A-frame signs declaring the street closed just feet from where the temporary memorial once stood."

Early 2026.

Following the death of a 12-year-old student killed by an unattended SUV in front of Washington Middle School in March, the Seattle Department of Transportation has blocked a street in front of the Central District school. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Get your hiking news! King County hikers can soon access trails via Trailhead Direct, learn about changes to the North Cascades National Park permit system, read about scan and pay options for Forest Service rec sites and more 🏔️

Attaching sensors to bikes to monitor close passes as a way to measure cyclist safety. I was going about this using data correlated with cyclist's feelings of safety (life intervened and my safer bike route mapping grad school project is on hold). So simple. www.washington.edu/news/2025/05...

New population estimates released 2020-2024. Mountlake Terrace +18.4% Shoreline +12.6% Redmond +12% Lynnwood +7.9% Bothell +7.5% Seattle +5.5% Woodinville +3.5% Kirkland +3.0% Bellevue +1.7% Everett +1.1% Kenmore +1.1% Brier +0.7% Mill Creek +0.4% Edmonds +0.1% LFP -2.4% Mercer Island -1.7%

Nichols Brothers Boat Builders urged Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson Wednesday to allow two companies to build the state's new electric fleet.

Among the 50 most-populous U.S. cities, Seattle ranked fourth for the rate of growth in 2024, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau, writes FYI Guy.

US Census updated its city-level pop estimates today, showing population increases from 2023–24 in most cities. Interesting data: —NYC added 87k, up to ~8.5 m —LA added 31k —Chicago added 22k —Seattle added 17k, up to 781k. This is up from 563k in 2000! Its density went from 6700 ppl/sq mi to 9300!

Paris was once notorious for speeding traffic – but now it has topped a European ranking of cycling-friendly cities for children. www.theguardian.com/news/2025/ma...

“Whoever can deliver boats the fastest, and what assurances they can give us on that time frame,” said Sen. Marko Liias. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

After all that, Washington still only got two bids to build its electric ferry fleet. Not great! From @nickdeshais.bsky.social www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Washington gets just two bids to build new electric ferries, and the prices are in. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

"With more than half of residents commuting car-free, Seattle’s investments in light rail and a growing bike network are reshaping how people get around, especially in neighborhoods like Capitol Hill." It's from the Realtors, fwiw.

What we know about congestion pricing in New York City. (We looked up every data source we could think of.) www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Seattle's next move to slow Rainier Avenue: Plant trees in center lane. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

I hear the train a'comin. Redmond's two new light rail stations begin service with a jovial crowd. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Today, the downtown Redmond Link light rail extension opens in the Seattle region. The project adds 2 stations and 3.4 miles of track to the 2 Line, on the Puget Sound's growing network. Early next year, the 2 Line will connect from Bellevue to Seattle.

The 3.4-mile, $1.2 billion extension also will deliver the masses to a cornucopia of walk-bike trails, a vast shopping center, local restaurants and Marymoor Park, the busiest in King County. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Hey look Streetsblog *kinda* picked up my story. Though I'd say I "described" the Marymoor Village Station, not "derided" it. usa.streetsblog.org/2025/05/08/h...

Media day on the light rail extension to Redmond.

Bloomberg News has won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism for a collection of essays by contributor @langealexandra.bsky.social. The series published in Bloomberg CityLab explores how urban design and architecture impact parents and kids 🧵

"Light rail transforms a suburb into a city," a comprehensive look by @nickdeshais.bsky.social: www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Thank you @nickdeshais.bsky.social and @seattletimes.com for covering last week’s events at Pine & 4th. SDOT has taken a big step in the right direction. I hope they can learn from this.

A suburb rides the train to a city.

‘Redmond was ready for light rail before Sound Transit was.’ Been dreaming about this piece since I worked at the City of Redmond back in 2011. Great quotes from @kellireef.bsky.social & @kccclaudia.bsky.social and reporting from @nickdeshais.bsky.social www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

A series of events, including two collisions and some face-to-face advocacy, led the city to quickly install temporary concrete barriers to make a bike lane safer.

Deadmond, the commuter Seattle suburb, is dead. In its place stands Redmond, the transit-oriented city. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

The stars — and Seattle’s constellation of bicycle advocates — aligned this week to address a troublesome downtown intersection. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

I created the Spokane Bike Infrastructure tracking tool last year on a whim (mostly for myself) and didn't really know if it would be interesting to anyone else. I've had a surprisingly large number of strangers tell me they've seen it! trello.com/b/eFMhFOsB/u...

Drivers are the least satisfied group, with 43% rating their experience a 6 or lower, on a scale of 0 to 10. Bicyclists were the happiest, with 33% rating their trips a 9 or 10. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Inbox: Washington Legislature approves transportation budget and sends to governor. Details of the budget here: www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

33,000 apply for WA e-bike rebate

Thousands apply for e-bike discounts, @nickdeshais.bsky.social reports: www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

The results are in. Washingtonians want some help buying electric bicycles. 33,175 apply for Washington’s e-bike rebate. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Could public transportation research make your job better? Tell @NASEMTRB what you need to know! Submit your research problem statement to #TCRP by June 20: survey.alchemer.com/s3/8151276/T... #Transit @trimet.org @bart.gov @sound-transit.bsky.social @caltrain.com @ctranvancouver.c-tran.com

New this summer: The Loowit Tier, a 197-mile mountain bike route in the state’s southern Cascades range that was unveiled to the public on Wednesday. www.seattletimes.com/life/outdoor...