WTA Board Approves Interim Waterfront Bus Service Proposal

BhamByBus wasn’t able to attend the Whatcom Transit Authority Board of Directors meeting on Thursday morning, so it was great to read in the Cascadia Daily News that board members OK’d a WTA proposal to introduce interim bus service to two waterfront areas that currently lack transit service: The Waterfront District and Squalicum Harbor.

The four-level Millworks Building at Cornwall Avenue & W. Laurel Street.
The Millworks Building at Cornwall Avenue & W. Laurel Street. (Photo by Michael Grass / BhamByBus)

The two new WTA routes, Route 46 (Granary) and Route 47 (Harbor) will start service on September 22, the CDN reports, and connect Bellingham Station with the waterfront via the Millworks building, a new multi-family apartment building operated by Mercy Housing Northwest at Cornwall Avenue & W. Laurel Street. 

A map of Route 46, which would connect Bellingham Station with the Millworks building in the Waterfront District.
WTA's proposal for Route 46 would connect Bellingham Station with the Millworks building in the Waterfront District. (Image via WTA)
A map of Route 47, which would connect Bellingham Station with Squalicum Harbor via the Waterfront District.
WTA's proposal for Route 47 would connect Bellingham Station with Squalicum Harbor via the Waterfront District. (Image via WTA)

As BhamByBus previously wrote about WTA’s waterfront bus proposal, the “interim service could lead to a future proposal for ‘more robust and likely expanded service’ in 2025.” 

On Saturday morning, BhamByBus wandered down to the Noisy Waters Mural Festival near the Port of Bellingham’s Portal Container Village from Downtown Bellingham, as was reminded by the “so near, yet so far” nature of the Waterfront District. Since there’s no direct way to cross over the BNSF railroad tracks from downtown, any on-foot trek requires a longer, in-direct walk via Granary Avenue or W. Laurel Street. 

WTA buses regularly passing by the Portal Container Village in the Waterfront District or traveling along Roeder Avenue to Squalicum Harbor will hopefully be a reminder to all those driving that for their next visit to Bellingham’s waterfront, using transit might be a good option.  

The Granary Building in Bellingham's Waterfront District.
The Granary Building in Bellingham's Waterfront District. (Photo by Michael Grass / BhamByBus)

BhamByBus is especially excited to use the new Routes 46 and 47 to reach transit-oriented espresso, focaccia, cannoli, and other Italian goods at Mercato delle Bontà in the Granary Building. 

WSDOT Opens Northbound I-5 HOV Lane Extension From Everett to Marysville

Northbound Amtrak Cascades, Bellair Airporter Shuttle, and Flix bus trips from Seattle to Bellingham may become slightly less frustrating through Snohomish County with the Washington State Department of Transportation recently opening an extension of I-5’s HOV lane from Pacific Avenue in Everett to S.R. 529 near Marysville.    

During periods of heavy northbound congestion, especially in afternoons and early evenings, Bellingham-bound buses leaving Everett using I-5 can get bogged down in traffic crossing the Snohomish River and Union Slough. While the new I-5 HOV lane extension won’t make congestion vanish, it may help buses bypass jammed-up single-occupancy vehicles, as long as the drivers of those single-occupancy vehicles allow buses to change lanes to the leftside HOV lane once they squeeze onto I-5.  

Intercounty bus service between Snohomish County and Skagit County, Skagit Transit’s Route 90X, won’t benefit from the HOV lane extension since that express bus service uses S.R. 529’s bridges over the Snohomish River and Union Slough between Everett and Marysville.   

Lynnwood Link’s Indirect Benefits for Bellinghamsters

A few months ago, BhamByBus was riding a southbound Amtrak Cascades bus into Seattle when the bus operator took to the public address system to marvel at all the nearly completed light-rail construction along I-5 that’s taken shape in the past few years between Northgate in Seattle and Lynnwood in Snohomish County. The bus operator speculated that “some day,” Sound Transit’s Link light-rail trains would run “all the way to Bellingham!”  

For the record, there’s no proposal to do that. While improving Bellingham’s regional transit connectivity to points south is certainly laudable, BhamByBus would suggest improving the existing Amtrak Cascades corridor (or build Cascadia High Speed Rail) to support more frequent, higher-speed trains before extending Sound Transit’s already long, slower-speed light-rail line spine northward from Snohomish County to Skagit County and then over the Chuckanut Mountains to Bellingham.

The elevated Lynnwood City Center Station with public art on the plaza.
The Lynnwood City Center Station, seen here in May, opens for Link light-rail service on August 30. (Photo by Michael Grass / BhamByBus)

While Sound Transit’s Lynnwood Link light-rail extension from Northgate Station in Seattle to Lynnwood City Center Station — which opens for revenue service on August 30 — doesn’t have any direct impact for Bellinghamsters and Whatcom County residents, there are some indirect benefits when looking at improvements to regional transit connectivity.

  • For Bellinghamsters heading to areas of Seattle north of the Lake Washington Ship Canal, including the University of Washington, instead of traveling all the way into Amtrak’s King Street Station in Downtown Seattle before trekking back north, Sound Transit’s light-rail extension to Lynnwood makes using transit connections via Everett Station more reliable. Sound Transit Express Route 512, which currently connects Everett Station to Northgate Station via Lynnwood via I-5’s HOV lanes, will soon be truncated to only connect Everett Station and Lynnwood City Center Station, feeding Sound Transit’s Link 1 Line.
  • During periods of heavy afternoon and evening northbound traffic on I-5 in North Seattle, buses currently navigate some of the state’s worst traffic congestion between Northgate and Everett. The HOV lane helps, but northbound buses leaving Northgate Station first have to cut over a few lanes of traffic to reach the leftside HOV lane.     
A double-decker Sound Transit Express Route 512 bus turning from the Lynnwood City Center Station onto an onramp leading to Interstate 5's HOV lanes.
A double-decker Sound Transit Express Route 512 bus turning from the Lynnwood City Center Station onto an onramp leading to Interstate 5's HOV lanes. (Photo by Michael Grass / BhamByBus)

So for Bellinghamsters looking for the series of intercounty connector express bus routes that will get you to Sound Transit’s new Link light-rail terminus in Lynnwood, it goes as follows: Route 80X (Bellingham to Mount Vernon) to Route 90X (Mount Vernon to Everett) to Sound Transit Express Route 512 (Everett to Lynnwood City Center) to the Link 1 Line.   

Hold Off on Transit Treks to Stimson Family Nature Reserve Until September

If you’ve wanted to reach the Stimson Family Nature Reserve near Sudden Valley via WTA’s Route 512 in recent weeks, you’ve likely faced disruption and disappointment. With pavement rehabilitation work ongoing on Lake Louise Road, WTA has been diverting Route 512 buses away from the construction meaning that the bus stop across from the nature reserve’s parking lot has been out of service. Whatcom County Public Works has not indicated when the work will be complete besides “late August,” so soon. And a WTA service bulletin indicates Route 512 buses will be detouring off Lake Louise Road on Monday and Tuesday. 

The Stimson Family Nature Reserve’s parking lot and adjacent trailhead are also under construction, “closed to the public and unavailable for use” until they reopen in September, according to a public notice.