Construction begins on future Renton Transit Center

Sound Transit officially broke ground on the construction of Renton’s new transit center Feb. 4.

Sound Transit and project partners celebrated the start of the project that will relocate and rebuild the Renton Transit Center to better serve the regional Stride S1 line, King County Metro services, and the future RapidRide I Line.

The 8.3-acre transit center, located at the northeast corner of the intersection of S. Grady Way and Rainier Avenue, will have eight bus bays, covered waiting areas and a four-way signalized intersection to support bus operations. The project will also include adding a bus-only lane to the northbound shoulder of SR 167, as well as adding new sidewalks, lighting and multi-use paths, and expanding the existing two-way bike lane along Shattuck Avenue.

“Today’s groundbreaking is an essential investment in Renton’s present and future as a regional hub at the crossroads between the Eastside and South King County,” Renton City Councilmember and Sound Transit Board member Ed Prince said.

In 2028, riders will be able to access direct, frequent, all day Stride Bus rapid transit to Burien, Tukwila, Renton and Bellevue, including direct connections to light rail stations at Tukwila International Blvd. Station and Bellevue Downtown Renton, Prince noted: “This Stride station will center Renton as a hub for regional connectivity.”

The Stride S1 Bellevue to Burien line will offer service on double-decker electric buses running every 10 to 15 minutes. Sound Transit plans for the Stride fleet to be their first first battery-electric fleet, which the agency claims is the first of its kind in the country to use this technology for double-decker buses.

Foothill Transit deployed two similar electric double-decker buses in California in 2021, but does not have a fleet of the buses. Sound Transit’s buses will primarily be used in HOV and dedicated transit infrastructure to reduce travel times for trips while also providing connections to light rail stations in Bellevue and Tukwila.

“Renton is a key destination within the Puget Sound, offering connections to the Eastside, Seattle, and the South Sound,” Renton Mayor Armondo Pavone said.

The mayor noted the project “is the primary transportation opportunity for our residents and businesses, and a crucial way to ensure we have the capacity to support the 10,000 to 12,000 new jobs projects like the new Seattle Children’s Hospital campus and new Alaska Airlines training facility are bringing to Renton. The relocation of the transit center gives us an incredible opportunity to invite redevelopment of this area into a transit-oriented, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood here in the Rainier/Grady corridor.”

Renton’s Rainier Avenue Grady Way Junction Transit Oriented Development Plan is designed to create a “more urban environment” near the future Sound Transit center. Renton redevelopment manager Paul Hintz previously said the plan is focused on bringing in residential and commercial development, and designing the built environment to be more conducive to biking or walking.

“It’s important that people live within walking distance to mass transit like this in order to take advantage of it and not need a car,” Hintz said. “Hopefully a lot of ground floor establishments within residential buildings that offer services, entertainment, recreation, dining experiences, things of that nature, a more urban environment than [what] we’ve seen before in Renton.”

Hintz previously expected the future Renton Transit Center to be completed in 2028.