Mountlake Terrace station

Mountlake Terrace is a bus station and light rail station in Mountlake Terrace, Washington, U.S. It is served by the 1 Line of Sound Transit's Link light rail system.

Mountlake Terrace
Parking garage and bus bay 2
General information
Location6001 236th Street Southwest
Mountlake Terrace, Washington
United States
Coordinates47°47′08″N 122°18′53″W / 47.78556°N 122.31472°W / 47.78556; -122.31472
Owned byWashington State Department of Transportation
Train operatorsSound Transit
Bus routes7
Bus stands6
Bus operatorsCommunity Transit
King County Metro
Sound Transit Express
Construction
Parking880 parking spaces
Bicycle facilitiesBicycle lockers and racks
AccessibleYes
History
OpenedFebruary 23, 2009 (February 23, 2009) (buses)
August 30, 2024 (Light rail)
Rebuilt2019–2024
Services
Preceding station Sound Transit Following station
Link
Lynnwood City Center
Terminus
1 Line Shoreline North/185th
toward Angle Lake
Future service
Lynnwood City Center
Terminus
2 Line Shoreline North/185th
Location
Map

The elevated light rail station was built as part of the Lynnwood Link Extension from 2019 to 2024.[1][2] It opened on August 30, 2024.

Location

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Mountlake Terrace station is located adjacent east of Interstate 5 near its interchange with 236th Street Southwest. It is west of Mountlake Terrace's city center.

History

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Community Transit opened a 400-stall park and ride lot at Interstate 5 and 236th Street Southwest on April 12, 1983.[3] It was initially served by Community Transit and King County Metro commuter service,[4] until the latter dropped service to Snohomish County in June 1989.[5][6] The new lot regularly reached capacity beginning in the 1990s and was supplemented with leased spaces at three nearby churches to provide overflow parking.[7] City officials proposed a garage with integrated housing and retail, but later dropped them from plans.[7][8] Construction began in late 2007 with the closure of the existing lower lot, which was replaced by spaces leased from local businesses.[8]

The parking garage at Mountlake Terrace Transit Center was dedicated on February 20, 2009, and opened three days later.[9][10] The freeway flyer stop, located in the median of Interstate 5, opened on March 20, 2011. It was immediately served by Sound Transit Express and Community Transit commuter routes connecting Snohomish County to Downtown Seattle.[11] The median flyer stop was first proposed in a 1996 report by Sound Transit and WSDOT.[12] The garage was also planned as a precursor to a future light rail station,[13] which was approved as part of Sound Transit 2 in 2008.[14]

Light rail construction at the transit center began in September 2019, with the closure of the surface parking lot for construction staging. The light rail platforms were built to the east of the bus bays and were opened as part of the Lynnwood Link Extension, carrying the 1 Line in August 2024 and 2 Line in 2025.[15] The freeway station bays were closed for five months beginning in July 2020 for light rail construction, with commuter routes bypassing Mountlake Terrace replaced by a temporary fare-free shuttle route to downtown.[16]

The main bus loop at the transit center was closed in March 2021 and replaced with a temporary loop to the east of the future light rail station.[17] The new main bus loop opened on March 30, 2024.[18] Light rail service at Mountlake Terrace station began on August 30, 2024.[19]

Transit-oriented development

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Beginning in 2018, the former site of the Evergreen Elementary School just south of the station was redeveloped into a three-building complex with 600 apartments and retail spaces.[20] The city government is also planning a "town center" in the area east of the light rail station.[21] A plaza and new pedestrian path through Veterans Memorial Park to the city hall and library is also planned.[22]

Layout and services

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Mountlake Terrace station has two entrances to the east of its parking garage and primary bus bays; the entrances are on the north and south sides of 236th Street Southwest and are connected to the elevated platform by stairs, escalators, and elevators. The transit center's bus bays are located adjacent to the parking garage, on 236th Street Southwest, and in the median of Interstate 5. The station has 890 total parking stalls in the garage and an adjacent surface lot.[23]

Services

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Route Bay(s)[24] Termini Via Notes
111 1 Brier Peak-only route
112 1 Ash Way Park and Ride Lynnwood, 44th Avenue W, Lynnwood Transit Center
119 1 Ash Way Park and Ride Edmonds College, Meadowdale
130 3, 4 Edmonds Station,
Lynnwood Transit Center
Aurora Village Transit Center
347 1 Northgate Station North City, Shoreline Operated by King County Metro
410 6, 7 Downtown Seattle,
Mariner Park and Ride
Peak-only commuter route
413 6, 7 Downtown Seattle,
Swamp Creek Park and Ride
Ash Way Park and Ride Peak-only commuter route
415 6, 7 Downtown Seattle,
North Lynnwood
Ash Way Park and Ride Peak-only commuter route
435 6, 7 Downtown Seattle,
Mill Creek
Canyon Park Park and Ride Peak-only commuter route
510 6, 7 Downtown Seattle,
Everett Station
Peak-only commuter route
512 6, 7 Northgate Station,
Everett Station
Lynnwood Transit Center
513 6, 7 Northgate Station,
Seaway Transit Center
Eastmont Park and Ride Peak-only commuter route
810 3 Northgate Station,
McCollum Park Park and Ride
Mariner Park and Ride,
Ash Way Park and Ride,
Lynnwood Transit Center
Peak-only commuter route
871 3 Northgate Station,
Edmonds Park and Ride
Peak-only commuter route

References

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  1. ^ Lindblom, Mike (April 4, 2024). "When will light rail reach Lynnwood? Sound Transit sets opening date". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  2. ^ Lindblom, Mike (April 23, 2015). "4 North End light-rail stations get Sound Transit's green light". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  3. ^ "New park-and-ride lot to open". The Seattle Times. March 16, 1983. p. F3.
  4. ^ "Metro to start new rush hour bus route". The Seattle Times. April 20, 1983. p. F2.
  5. ^ Bergsman, Jerry (September 21, 1988). "Metro buses won't be traveling to Snohomish County after April". The Seattle Times. p. H5.
  6. ^ Bergsman, Jerry (June 9, 1989). "Some bus commuters to say goodbye to Metro". The Seattle Times. p. B3.
  7. ^ a b Thompson, June 18, 2003. "Officials hope commuter project will jump-start Mountlake Terrace". The Seattle Times. p. H13.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ a b Pesznecker, Scott (December 31, 2007). "Mountlake Terrace parking a hot commodity". The Everett Herald. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  9. ^ "Agency Welcomes 880 New Parking Spaces at Mountlake Terrace Transit Center" (Press release). Community Transit. February 20, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  10. ^ Brown, Charles E. (February 23, 2009). "Bumper to Bumper: License-plate placement". The Seattle Times. p. B1.
  11. ^ "Sound Transit dedicates Mountlake Terrace Freeway Station" (Press release). Sound Transit. March 17, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  12. ^ "Puget Sound HOV Pre-Design Studies" (PDF). Washington State Department of Transportation. 1996. p. 18. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  13. ^ Pesznecker, Scott (June 21, 2007). "Mountlake Terrace bus trip to get easier". The Everett Herald. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  14. ^ Haglund, Noah (November 27, 2016). "Here's the plan for light rail to Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace". The Everett Herald. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  15. ^ Haglund, Noah (September 21, 2019). "Part of MLT Transit Center will close for light-rail work". The Everett Herald. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  16. ^ "Mountlake Terrace Transit Center Freeway Station to Close until Late November, Effective July 6" (Press release). Community Transit. June 9, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  17. ^ Distelhorst, Luke (April 1, 2021). "New bus loop at the Mountlake Terrace Transit Center". Community Transit Blog. Community Transit. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  18. ^ "Changes to Bus Service Start March 30". Community Transit. March 2024. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  19. ^ Deshais, Nicholas; Lindblom, Mike (August 30, 2024). "New light rail stations draw big crowds for first trips". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  20. ^ Haglund, Noah (May 29, 2018). "Work starting on buildings along I-5 in Mountlake Terrace". The Everett Herald. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  21. ^ "City council Sept. 26 set to approve updated Town Center Plan". MLT News. September 24, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  22. ^ Watanabe, Ben (January 29, 2023). "Paved path, plaza coming to Mountlake Terrace near light rail". The Everett Herald. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  23. ^ Lindblom, Mike (August 25, 2024). "Lynnwood light rail is opening. Here's what you'll find at 4 new stations". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  24. ^ "Mountlake Terrace Station". Sound Transit. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
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