On August 28, Pierce Transit hosted Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland and other elected officials and dignitaries to celebrate the kickoff of a systemwide bus stop shelter upgrade. Event attendees held a ribbon cutting ceremony at one of the new shelters installed along Bridgeport Way W. in Lakewood. The upgrades to bus shelters throughout Pierce Transit’s service area are made possible in part through a Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending grant award of $2,500,000 supported by both Congresswoman Strickland and Senator Patty Murray. The Puget Sound Regional Council’s Federal Highway Administration Equity Pilot Program grant award of $945,820 and some Pierce Transit local funds will also support the project.
Pierce Transit has more than 500 bus shelters throughout its 292 square mile service area in Pierce County. Many are more than 20 years old and are showing signs of wear and tear. In addition, their larger glass panes are expensive to replace and repair, and most shelters lack any type of lighting.
The new shelters feature smaller panes of glass which make repairs more affordable, plus easier and faster to install. They also include a bench seat and solar lighting to improve the customer experience, as well as making it easier for bus drivers to see those waiting at the bus stop after dark. The new shelters are updated with a sleek black design and are sized to use the former shelter’s concrete pad, making for a simpler installation process. The new shelters are being distributed across the service area, prioritizing installations in locations with low and very low equity designations. By the end of this year, 93 upgraded bus shelters will be installed around Pierce County. Pierce Transit has a goal of replacing about one-fifth of its bus stop shelters each year with the upgraded design, provided funding is available.
“Connecting communities and places of work continues to be critical in the South Sound,” said Strickland. “This project will increase safety and accessibility for our growing transit rider population.”
“These new sleek, lit bus stop shelters are a huge part of the experience for people riding Pierce Transit,” noted Pierce Transit Board Chair Kristina Walker. “The design is beautiful and functional, and I’m incredibly proud of the work that the Pierce Transit Board and staff did to make sure the first shelters installed are in low equity and high ridership neighborhoods. These relatively small investments make a huge difference in showing riders that we put them first in all we do.”
The following elected officials and public transportation leaders offered remarks at the event:
- Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland
- Pierce Transit Board Chair and Tacoma City Councilmember Kristina Walker
- Lakewood Mayor and Pierce Transit Board Vice Chair Jason Whalen
- Pierce Transit CEO Mike Griffus
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