EVERETT — Sound Transit’s governing body approved a construction contract Thursday to build a major new bus facility in Bothell in a move toward opening its new bus rapid transit service.
The facility, known as Bus Base North, is expected to cost $228 million, complete with a two-story operations center and room for up to 120 buses. The contract includes a 20% contingency of $45 million for a total contract not to exceed $274 million, a Sound Transit release read.
It is set to take up more than 360,000 square feet in the Canyon Park subarea of Bothell, just north of the King County border.
Bus Base North will provide storage, charging and maintenance services on Sound Transit’s new Stride bus rapid transit service. One of the service’s three lines, S2, is set to connect Lynnwood to Bellevue with frequent service 17 hours of the day, 7 days per week. The S1 line will connect Bellevue to Burien, and the S3 line will connect Shoreline to Bothell.
“The approval of the Bus Base North contract is an important step forward for Stride,” Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine wrote in a release. “Bus Base North will be the heart of 45 miles of electric bus rapid transit that will provide a green alternative for riders and transform travel across the region.”
Currently, the route between Lynnwood and Bellevue is served by the 535 Express bus, with 30-minute frequencies on weekdays and one-hour frequencies on Saturdays. The route doesn’t operate on Sundays.
Bus rapid transit is a form of transportation that mimics some qualities of rail service — frequent arrivals, dedicated travel lanes and off-board fare collection — without the larger overhead costs of providing passenger rail. Community Transit currently operates three bus rapid transit lines, known as Swift, throughout Snohomish County. A fourth is expected to arrive by 2031.
In 2016, voters approved building the Stride bus rapid transit line as part of the Sound Transit 3 ballot measure. That same measure also paved the way to expand Link light rail to Everett.
“Today’s Board action will move us one step closer to fast and frequent transit for riders on heavily congested corridors as we continue to expand multiple transit options across the Central Puget Sound,” Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers wrote in a release Thursday. “Board members and the residents that they represent understand that advancing construction on Bus Base North is a key milestone for Stride and ST3.”
Stride buses will be the first battery-electric buses Sound Transit plans to put into use. Service on the route is expected to begin by 2028.
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
