One year after breaking ground: A Swift Orange Line update

It was all cheers and flying dirt at Lynnwood Transit Center last April when Community Transit broke ground on the Swift Orange Line.

As elected officials wielded shovels to mark the occasion, bus riders saw what it will mean to have fast, frequent bus rapid transit (BRT) service in south Snohomish County.

The third Swift BRT line, Swift Orange Line, will provide people with east-west connectivity across southern Snohomish County, linking Mill Creek and Lynnwood, with stops at many popular destinations, including Alderwood Mall and Edmonds College. People will also have access to the Sound Transit Link light rail once it extends to Lynnwood. Swift Orange Line service starts in 2024.

Since breaking ground on construction, we’ve made a lot of progress on the Swift Orange Line. Crews have started working at seven of the ten new Swift stations along the corridor. Some of the locations are nearly complete! 

Here’s what’s happening now at the various stations along the corridor:

• We recently installed the bus shelters at the new Swift Blue Line station at Hwy 99 and 196th St. This station is being installed on the Swift Blue Line to serve as a connection between Swift Blue and Swift Orange. Digital signage and information displays are coming soon! Check out a photo from the recent station installation. At the other Swift Orange stations at 196th St and Hwy 99, we’re getting the area ready for the bus stop platform. 

• The stations at 33rd Ave West, 36th Ave West, and Lynnwood Transit Center are nearly complete! We will install new bus shelters and other station amenities in the coming weeks. These stations, like other Swift Orange stations, will feature many new amenities to improve the ridership experience and accessibility, such as the bus shelter, signage, and ORCA card readers. 
• Once the weather is dry, we’ll be pouring concrete for bus stops at several of our stations including Edmonds College and 164th St and Larch Way. (April weather is so unpredictable!)
• At Swamp Creek Park & Ride and North Road and 164th St, we’re working to move utilities so that we can begin building the station platforms. 
• Crews are upgrading connections at McCollum Park Park & Ride. In coming weeks, crews will demolish the existing transit loop. At that time, riders will need to board at the new temporary bus stop along Park Road, located across from the new southern parking lot. 

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