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Kent Station Parking and Access Improvements

Thank you for your feedback regarding Kent Station access improvements

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Thank you for your participation and feedback throughout the alternatives development and evaluation phase of the Kent Station Access Improvements Project! More than 170 people attended project open houses in February and September. Your input helped Kent City Council and the Sound Transit Board of Directors identify a preferred package of access improvements to the Kent Sounder station.

Sound Transit Board identifies Preferred Alternative

Map of preferred alternative for Kent Station access improvements project.

On Nov. 16, the Sound Transit Board identified preferred alternatives for the Kent and Auburn Station Access Improvements Projects. The preferred alternative includes a location to build an additional parking garage and a suite of access improvements for pedestrians, bicyclists and transit riders in each city.

In Kent, the Sound Transit Board identified parking garage site three south of East James Street and west of Central Avenue North. The garage is estimated to add approximately 500 new parking spaces. The board also identified a proposed package of pedestrian, bicycle and transit access improvements. The board prioritized projects as the most effective at improving non-motorized access to the station, though the projects themselves may change during design and environmental review.

"As Sounder ridership continues to grow, these improvements will go a long way toward alleviating parking issues at these high-demand stations," said Sound Transit Board member and King County councilmember Dave Upthegrove. "Easy, reliable access to transit is crucial in south King and Pierce counties, where residents experience some of the worst traffic congestion in the nation."

Next steps

With the identification of a Preferred Alternative, Sound Transit will move the project forward to prepare for preliminary engineering and environmental review. Please stay tuned for future opportunities to provide input.

Project background

Voters approved the Kent Station Access Improvements Project in the 2008 ballot measure to expand mass transit throughout the region. The economic recession forced suspension of funding in 2010, but the Sound Transit Board restored funding in 2016. Improving easy and reliable access to the station for all users will be necessary as ridership and service increase.

For more information about the selected improvements, feel free to read the press release or visit the project website at www.soundtransit.org/projects-and-plans/kent-station-access-improvements-project.