Kent station (Sound Transit)

For other locations called Kent Station, see Kent Station.
Kent
Sounder commuter rail
Location 301 Railroad Avenue North
Kent, WA 98032
Coordinates 47°23′02″N 122°13′59″W / 47.3840°N 122.2331°W / 47.3840; -122.2331Coordinates: 47°23′02″N 122°13′59″W / 47.3840°N 122.2331°W / 47.3840; -122.2331
Owned by Sound Transit
Line(s)

Sound Transit Services:

  South Line
Platforms 2 side platforms
Tracks 2
Connections King County Metro, Sound Transit Express
Construction
Structure type At-grade
Parking 983 spaces (119 surface & 877 garage)
Bicycle facilities 44 Lockers
Disabled access Yes
History
Opened 2001
Services
Preceding station  
Sounder
   Following station
toward Lakewood
South Line
toward Seattle

Kent station is a transportation hub in the city of Kent, Washington, served by Sounder commuter rail trains, Sound Transit Express buses, and King County Metro buses.

The station was built in phases by Sound Transit around the BNSF Railway tracks in downtown Kent. Commuter rail trains first started running between the station and downtown Seattle on February 5, 2001, with service to Tacoma added on September 24, 2007. A 877 space park and ride structure opened in March 2002, followed by the transit center in 2005, which allowed more than a dozen bus routes to be shifted to the station.

The station is the focal point for Kent's effort to redevelop the city's historic downtown.

History

Kent station was built as part of Sound Move, a measure approved by voters in 1996, which authorized the creation of Sound Transit, tax collections for funding, and the first set of regional transit projects.[1] The projects it funded included peak-period commuter rail between Lakewood and Seattle via the Green River valley, express bus service linking cities in the region and investments in transit facilities.[1]

Sound Transit studied two potential locations for Kent station approximately 900 feet from each other, the north site would extend on either side of the BNSF railroad tracks between James and Smith streets and the south site would extend on either side of the BNSF railroad tracks between Gowe and Willis streets.[2] While there was no clear consensus within the community on the best station location, the Kent City Council recommended that the south site be selected (concerned over the potential loss of business and tax base in the downtown area if the north site is selected), and Sound Transit staff recommended that the north site be selected. The Sound Transit board selected the north station site on June 11, 1998, with a promise to the City of Kent to design a station that would both minimize the amount of property takes required by incorporating a parking structure, to be partially funded by the city.

A contract to design the station was awarded on November 5, 1998 to MBT Architecture of San Francisco.[3]

The construction of the station was broken up into phases. Phase 1 included the station (platforms, canopies, and lighting), temporary and permanent parking lots, and improvements to Railroad Ave N to enhance access to the station. Construction of Phase 1 was approved on September 2, 1999 with a contract awarded to Gary Merlino Construction Company[4] and a public groundbreaking celebration was held on October 20, 1999.[5]

Construction was completed in early 2001, a grand opening celebration was held on February 3, 2001 and trains first started running between the station and downtown Seattle on February 5, 2001.[6]

Phase 2 saw the construction of a five-level 871-stall parking garage, at a cost of just over $10 million. The City of Kent contributed $4 million and King County contributed $2.12 million towards construction costs. Construction of Phase 2 was approved on October 26, 2000 with a contract awarded to PCL Construction.[7] Construction began in February 2011 and PCL competed the garage four months ahead of schedule and it opened to the public on March 20, 2002.[8]

The remainder of station construction was broken up into Phases 2a, 2b, and 2c, which included a pedestrian bridge to connect the two platforms, the transit center, and the parking garage (which was primarily financed by three federal grants totaling $2,045,600), a island platform for buses on the eastern portion of the site (partially funded by $300,000 contribution by King County Metro), a park-like public entry plaza on the southeast portion of the site, and improvements to surrounding roads to improve bus access to the transit center and improve access for private vehicles to the parking garage.[9] With the competition of the transit island, 14 bus routes were rerouted from the Kent Transit Center (now called the Kent/James Street Park and Ride) to the transit center at Kent station in June 2005.[10][11]

Station layout

Bridge Pedestrian bridge between parking garage and platforms
Street Railroad Ave N Transit Center (Bus Bays 1-9), Park & Ride lot A, bike lockers
Platform
Side platform, doors will open on the right
Northbound ← Sounder South Line toward Seattle (Tukwila)
Southbound → Sounder South Line toward Lakewood via Tacoma (Auburn) →
Side platform, doors will open on the right
Street 1st Ave N Parking garage, Kiss & Ride lot, Park & Ride lot B, bike lockers

Transit Center

The Kent Station transit center is located to the east of the train station and is served by King County Metro and Sound Transit Express buses.

As of March 2016, the following routes stop at the Kent Station transit center:[12]

Bay 1:

  • King County Metro 164 to Green River College
  • King County Metro 168 to Maple Valley via Timberlane

Bay 2:

  • King County Metro 169 to Renton via Kent East Hill

Bay 3:

  • King County Metro 153 to Renton
  • King County Metro 158 to Kent East Hill
  • King County Metro 159 to Timberlane
  • King County Metro 952 to Boeing Everett Factory
  • Sound Transit Express 566 to Overlake via Renton, Bellevue
  • Sound Transit Express 567 to Overlake via Bellevue

Bay 4:

  • King County Metro 180 to Auburn

Bay 5:

  • King County Metro 913 DART to North Kent/Riverview

Bay 7:

Bay 8:

Bay 9:

  • King County Metro 158 to Downtown Seattle
  • King County Metro 159 to Downtown Seattle
  • King County Metro 180 to Burien via Seattle–Tacoma International Airport
  • King County Metro 183 to Federal Way
  • Sound Transit Express 566 to Auburn
  • King County Metro 952 to Auburn

W Temperance St & Ramsay Way: (located to the west of the train station)[13]

  • King County Metro 914 DART Shopper Shuttle to Kent East Hill
  • King County Metro 916 DART Shopper Shuttle to Kent East Hill

References

  1. 1 2 "History: what voters approved". www.soundtransit.org. Sound Transit. January 1, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Sound Transit Motion 98-43 Directing staff to begin the property acquisition process and station design process for the Tacoma-to-Seattle Commuter Rail Project" (PDF). www.soundtransit.org. Sound Transit. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Sound Transit Motion 98-81 Tacoma to Seattle Commuter Rail Stations - Final Design Contract Award" (PDF). www.soundtransit.org. Sound Transit. November 5, 1998. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Sound Transit Motion No. M99-59 Sounder Kent Commuter Rail Station Construction Contract Award" (PDF). Sound Transit. September 2, 1999. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Groundbreaking ceremonies for the Kent Sounder commuter train station get underway on Wednesday, Oct. 20". www.soundtransit.org. Sound Transit. 2014-12-22. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Sounder commuter rail service to Kent and Puyallup begins on Feb. 5, community celebration of Kent Sounder Station opening on Feb. 3". www.soundtransit.org. Sound Transit. January 26, 2001. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Sound Transit Motion M2000-95 Kent Station Parking Garage Design-Build Contract" (PDF). www.soundtransit.org. Sound Transit. October 26, 2000. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Sound Transit will open Kent Station Garage ahead of schedule". March 18, 2002. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Sound Transit Motion M2002-39 Award of Construction Contract for Kent Station Phase 2, Package 2C: Street Improvements". www.soundtransit.org. April 4, 2002. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  10. ↑ "City of Kent Transit Master Plan". Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates. December 2007. p. ES-14.
  11. ↑ "2006 AWC Municipal Achievement Awards Creating Community Partnerships Nomination: Kent Station". City of Kent.
  12. ↑ "Kent Station Transit Center Boarding Locations". metro.kingcounty.gov. King County Metro. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Route 914, 916 Timetable" (PDF). King County Metro. March 26, 2016. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
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