SMOKEY POINT — A complete overhaul of the transit center here is nearing completion after more than a year of work.
The remodel is meant to create a better transfer hub for north Snohomish County bus routes. It’s a $3.5 million Community Transit project that started in December 2013. The Federal Transit Administration provided about 80 percent of the funding.
Community Transit hosted a dedication ceremony Saturday morning, celebrating the recent installation of a sculpture by artist Julie Berger, of Brier. About 90 people stopped by during the event, according to the transit agency. Since then, a chainlink fence has been up around the center.
The station won’t open until Feb. 16, Community Transit spokesman Martin Munguia said. Crews plan to install wind screens around the center’s new shelters and finish lighting and landscaping during the next two weeks, he said.
The strip of land at 3326 Smokey Point Drive used to have room for two buses to stop at the same time, and for one to turn around.
However, five different routes pass through Smokey Point, totaling 179 buses per day, according to Community Transit. The new center has five bus bays and a raised island with shelters in the middle so more buses can loop around quickly and safely, Munguia said.
“We do have more services there now, and we are expecting to grow,” he said. “It’s larger, but it’s a lot nicer, as well.”
There are new green benches arranged under white, canopied shelters. Lights have been installed in the shelters and around the transit station, along with open landscaping for visibility. The station also has new security cameras, Munguia said.
It was designed with growth in mind.
“We don’t have specific routes planned, but we know that the area is growing and we expect to see some of that growth with maybe more routes and certainly more buses on the current routes,” Munguia said.
Buses from Smokey Point connect to Marysville, Everett, Lynnwood, Stanwood and Darrington.
For more than a year, riders have been walking from one stop to another to transfer buses. The reopened and remodeled transit center is meant to give people a bright, dry, safe place to wait for their connection.
There isn’t any parking for cars at the center. Community Transit officials discussed a Smokey Point Park &Ride about four years ago, Munguia said, but did not receive much interest from the community.
“It’s meant basically so people can take the bus there and transfer, or walk there to catch the bus,” he said. “From there, you can get basically anywhere in the county.”
Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.
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