Welcome
Welcome to Community Transit’s online open house for the Swift Gold Line project. Here you can find information about the the Swift Gold Line. This first phase of the online open house closed on Aug. 7. Subscribe to the project by clicking the Follow button above to learn about additional opportunities for input this winter and in early 2025.
Community Transit is preparing to dramatically improve transit service for Arlington, Marysville, and Everett by expanding the Swift bus rapid transit (BRT) network with the Swift Gold Line.
How to use this online open house
Click on the tabs below:
- Learn more about the Swift Gold Line
- Learn how a higher level of investment in this corridor can attract more riders can create more benefits
- Learn about the three route options and give your input
- See an interactive map of the project and what people said about important community resources in the project corridor
Benefits
BENEFITS AND NEED
Swift BRT will offer shorter waits between buses, faster and more reliable service, and connections to congestion-free travel across the region on the Link light rail that arrives in Lynnwood in August 2024 and Everett in the future.
Transit plays a big role in helping identify solutions so that growing communities have enough transportation capacity to get people from where they are to where they want to be. BRT service is particularly effective at creating economic and environmental benefits along with expanded travel options. We are exploring options for maximizing the benefits it will bring riders and community members.
More bus riders, taking cars off the road
Connections to congestion-free light rail
Improvements to sidewalks, making it easier to walk and use transit
Easier access to
jobs and businesses
Better traffic
flow, moving buses and cars more efficiently
The cities of Everett, Marysville, and Arlington are planning for future population and job growth in their communities. By 2050, Snohomish County will see a 24% increase in population and a 19% increase in jobs.
BRT Design
BRT DESIGN
There are a few options for how a Swift line can operate. There are tradeoffs for each of these options that impact riders, drivers, and overall project costs. Community Transit’s existing Swift lines travel in the rightmost lane of traffic. These lines use a combination of transit signal priority (TSP) and business access and transit (BAT) lanes to keep the buses running…swiftly.
Transit Signal Priority
TSP uses technology to communicate with upcoming traffic signals to give the bus more green time and less red time. This results in Swift riders waiting at traffic lights less frequently and for less time.
Business Access and Transit Lanes
BAT lanes require all vehicles to turn right, except for buses. Vehicles other than transit may not continue through an intersection in this lane. BAT lanes can be found at the curbside/rightmost lane of traffic. BAT lanes currently exist on SR-99/Aurora Ave on the Swift Blue Line. Examples of BAT Lanes are included below.
Both of these options keep buses moving; however, these options maintain buses in the mixed traffic lanes and are susceptible to congestion as growth continues in our area. To provide highly reliable, fast transit service for years to come that would support planned growth in these communities, there are a few additional options to investigate. These options make buses operate more like light rail trains, separated from traffic. Those options include both One and Two Lane Center-Running Transit-Only Lanes. Details for each option are outlined in more detail below, including several examples of where these options exist throughout North America and a video that illustrates how they operate.
Center-Running Transit-Only Lanes
One Lane Center-Running Transit-Only Lanes
There is a separate lane in the center of the roadway that only Swift buses use. Buses travel in both directions in this lane and pass at stations. Features of one lane center-running transit-only lanes include:
- Bus travels separated from regular roadway traffic, getting you where you are going faster and more reliably.
- Can be implemented in areas where there is limited Right-of-Way available or a preference to maintain on-street parking.
![An intersection in the middle of a typical roadway configuration highlights a one lane, center-running transit-only lane. A station on one side of the intersection splits the single bus lane into two, to allow the buses to pass one another, before the lan](https://hdp-us-prod-app-ct-engage-files.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/1317/1942/3276/RollPlot_BiDirectional_1IN_JS_Revised_Final_240617-01.jpg)
Illustration of typical roadway configuration and BRT operations within a one lane center-running transit-only environment.
Examples of One Lane Center-Running Transit-Only Lanes are shown below:
Two Lane Center-Running Transit-Only Lanes
There are two separate lanes in the center of that roadway that only Swift buses use. Features of two lane center-running transit-only lanes include:
- Bus travels separated from regular roadway traffic, getting you where you’re going faster and more reliably.
- Allows access for all transit and emergency vehicles.
- Requires more roadway space and may limit the ability to maintain on-street parking.
![An intersection in the middle of a typical roadway configuration highlights center-running bus rapid transit operating on two lanes. Each lane has its own station on either side of the intersection providing access in the middle of the roadway.](https://hdp-us-prod-app-ct-engage-files.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/2917/1942/3280/RollPlot_CenterTwoLanes_1IN__Revised_Final_240617-01.jpg)
Illustration of a typical roadway configuration and BRT operations within a two lane center-running transit-only lanes environment
Route Options
ROUTE OPTIONS
There are three route options for the Swift Gold Line. All options follow a shared path from downtown Everett to Grove St in downtown Marysville and then from 136th St NE along 51st Ave NE and 172nd St NE before ending at Smokey Point Transit Center. In the middle between Grove St and 136th St NE, the routes take different paths:
- Option A: Travels up State Ave and Smokey Point Blvd, turning on 136th St NE, and then reconnecting with the shared path on 51st Ave NE.
- Option B: Travels up Stave Ave, turns onto Shoultes Rd, and continues on 51st Ave NE.
- Option C: Turns on Grove St and then turns on 51st Ave NE.
The project team reviewed existing and future conditions along the Swift Gold Line corridor and conducted an analysis to determine these potential route options. We considered:
- Ridership potential (population and employment)
- Connections for people biking and walking
- Ongoing, planned development, and other land uses
- Key travel destinations
- Connections to other transit services
- Cost to construct and operate the Swift service
- Transit travel time to ensure a fast, reliable ride for Swift riders
Please review the benefits and disadvantages for each route option. From July 11 to Aug. 7, community members had the opportunity to give input on the route options in a survey.
Option A would travel along Smokey Point Boulevard to 136th Street NE to 51st Avenue NE in Marysville.
Benefits of Option A include:
- Access to jobs and businesses along Smokey Point Boulevard, particularly around 116th St NE
- Connections to other transit services
Disadvantages of Option A include:
- Limited travel time savings compared to Route 201/202
- Limited and/or costly station options next to railroad
Option B would travel along State Avenue to Shoultes Road to 51st Avenue NE in Marysville.
Benefits of Option B include:
- High ridership expected due to access to businesses and residences
- Travel time savings compared to Route 201/202
- Connections to other transit services
Disadvantages of Option B include:
- Limited bike lanes / sidewalks in the northern portion of corridor
- Northern portion of corridor would be operating in two lane road
Option C would travel along 72nd Street NE/Grove Street to 51st Avenue NE in Marysville.
Benefits of Option C include:
- High ridership expected due to access to residences
- Longer route length, meaning more potential access points for riders, but also longer overall travel times
- Serves Pinewood and Cascade Elementary Schools
- Moderate travel time savings compared to Route 201/202
Disadvantages of Option C include:
- Limited bike lanes / sidewalks in the northern portion of corridor
- This route would not travel along the majority of State Ave and Smokey Point Boulevard, which is a main commercial corridor in Marysville with planned future commercial and residential growth
- Few connections to other transit services