Federal Way Downtown
Sound Transit Express bus leaving the transit center in 2006
General information
Location31621 23rd Avenue South
Federal Way, Washington
United States
Coordinates47°19′03″N 122°18′17″W / 47.31750°N 122.30472°W / 47.31750; -122.30472
Train operatorsSound Transit (planned)
Bus stands9
Bus operators
Construction
ParkingParking garage
Bicycle facilitiesBicycle lockers and racks
AccessibleYes
History
OpenedFebruary 11, 2006 (February 11, 2006)
Rebuilt2020–2026 (planned)
Previous namesFederal Way Transit Center
Services
Preceding station Sound Transit Following station
Link
Future service
Star Lake
toward Northgate
 1 Line
(2026)
 Terminus
Proposed service
Star Lake
toward Ballard
 1 Line
(2032)
 South Federal Way
toward Tacoma Dome

Federal Way Downtown is a future light rail station at the site of the Federal Way Transit Center, a bus station in Federal Way, Washington. The bus station opened in 2006 and has 1,190 parking spaces available in its parking garage and surface lots. It is served by King County Metro, Pierce Transit and Sound Transit Express buses and is the southern terminus of the RapidRide A Line.[1][2] The transit center is located adjacent to The Commons at Federal Way shopping mall and Interstate 5, connected via a direct access ramp to its high-occupancy vehicle lanes.

A similar park-and-ride lot, on the south side of South 320th Street and east of the shopping mall, opened on November 5, 1979, using land donated by a local businessman.[3]

As part of the expansion of Link light rail by Sound Transit, the transit center is planned to be the southern terminus of the Federal Way Link Extension, which would extend light rail south from its current terminus at Angle Lake station to Federal Way. A voter-approved plan passed in 2008 proposed funding to design, but not construct, a light rail station and other bus and parking improvements at the transit center. In 2016, the Sound Transit 3 plan approved a 2024 completion date for light rail to Federal Way Transit Center, as well as a light rail extension from Federal Way to Tacoma to be opened by 2030.[4]

The preliminary design for the light rail station consists of an elevated platform along 23rd Avenue South that is located two blocks south of the current transit center. A second garage with 400 parking stalls would be built, along with transit-oriented development on the site of a former shopping center.[5] Demolition of several vacated retail buildings at the site began in April 2020.[6] A series of 35 murals by local artists were installed on the construction site's fences, but were damaged in an act of vandalism in August 2020.[7] Sound Transit officials called the incident racially-motivated, as the murals were primarily celebrating the area's Pacific Islander, Black, and Asian communities.[8]

Light rail service is expected to begin in 2026.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Guadette, Karen (February 8, 2006). "New lots will make it easier to park, ride". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Federal Way Transit Center Boarding Locations". King County Metro. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  3. ↑ "$1 million park-and-ride lot in Federal Way opens". The Seattle Times. November 7, 1979. p. H8.
  4. ↑ Demay, Daniel (June 2, 2016). "Sound Transit approves faster timeline for next phases of light rail". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Federal Way Transit Center station area spotlight". Sound Transit. February 12, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  6. ↑ Sullivan, Olivia (April 17, 2020). "Demolition of Federal Way buildings will make room for light rail". Federal Way Mirror. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Public art murals slashed at Federal Way light rail construction site" (Press release). Sound Transit. September 1, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  8. ↑ Lindblom, Mike (September 1, 2020). "Sound Transit repairs Federal Way murals the agency says were slashed in acts of racism". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  9. ↑ Lindblom, Mike (May 26, 2023). "Wetlands bridge adds delay and $72 million to light-rail project". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 5, 2023.

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