The long-awaited new Kirkland Transit Center opened to great fanfare Friday. Snohomish County Executive and Sound Transit Board Chair Aaron Reardon, King County Councilmember Jane Hague, all of the governing leaders for the City of Kirkland and about 100 guests were on hand for the ribbon cutting.

But the need for the new Transit Center will be no more evident than when tolls begin on the 520 bridge during spring.

“The increased availability of transit is always good,” said Ray Steiger, interim Public Works director for the city. “But the timing of this is great with 520 and the talk of tolls on 405.”

At this point, no one knows exactly what impact 520 tolls will have on Kirkland side streets, but most anticipate a portion of drivers will avoid the tolls by going around the north end of the lake. The route to get there could go straight through Kirkland.

“Normally, you have to anticipate a shift and we do anticipate some change,” said Steiger. “We are trying to identify key locations and take baseline counts now.”

The hardest hit arterials are anticipated to be SR-522 through Bothell and Kenmore, I-405 through Bellevue and some side streets through downtown Bellevue. But Kirkland streets could become more congested as some drivers attempt to find quicker ways to SR-522.

One of the ways the city can help move cars through Kirkland in a expeditious manner is to sync up stop lights.

Coincidentally, the city has received a Federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) grant of $1.8 million to install an Intelligent Transit System (ITS). The council approved ITS in 2008.

ITS is used to sync up stop light times during rush hour, keep the flow of traffic more consistent and cut down on air pollution by cutting down the time cars idol at stoplights.

“Kirkland has a portion of matching funds taking the overall budget to approximately $2 million,” said Steiger. “We are currently developing a scope of work and will be seeking professional consulting services over the next few months.”

Two major arterial corridors are selected for ITS implementation. The first is Lake Washington Boulevard, Market Street and 100th Ave N.E. from SR-520 and Northup Way to N.E. 132nd Street; and the second is Central Way and N.E. 85th Street from Market Street to 132nd Avenue N.E. Both arterials are listed on the Top 25 Regional ITS Implementation Plan Key Corridors for King County.

Along these two arterials, various ITS measures will be deployed to upgrade current equipment and connect signal and ITS field locations to a new central operations management location, helping with the movement of traffic. ITS can also collect data, monitor equipment and perform an analysis to improve operations.

The Lake Washington Boulevard and Market Street corridor carries between 20,000-29,000 average daily trips (ADT) and has experienced a total of 291 accidents over the past five years. The Central Way and N.E. 85th St. corridor carries 45,000 ADT and has experienced a total of 435 accidents over the past five years.

But Stieger said the city will be able to mitigate traffic more effectively once officials obtain more real-time information on the increased traffic after tolling begins.

“There are other things we can do too like maybe adding a second lane at key intersections,” said Steiger.

The city welcomes the increase in bus routes out of downtown Kirkland.

“We hope that the increase in Metro transit service will help,” said Steiger.

Transit Center

The $13.3 million Transit Center project replaces a 22-year-old facility with an open-air, pedestrian-friendly design that includes six bus bays, five passenger shelters, new pedestrian lighting, improved traffic signals, landscaping and bicycle storage. The facility will accommodate 587 bus trips per week.

A civic plaza and 71-foot trellis provide a gateway to the park and a staircase laid with intricately cut granite blocks entitled “Social Intricacy/The Beach,” by artist Carolyn Law.

“I wanted to do something to change how you perceive and use the space,” said Law. “… I wanted to create a space for all ages and something that is captivating for younger people.”

Sound Transit and city officials state the new Transit Center will improve local and express bus service to some of the city’s key destinations, like the pool and fields of Peter Kirk Park, the Kirkland Performance Center and Kirkland Library. The center will also serve as an important regional hub for Sound Transit and King County Metro Transit bus connections.

But many people and businesses downtown are concerned with the availability of parking in the downtown core. Many city representatives point out that the old Antique Mall parking lot is open to the public.

“We have a pretty good supply of parking downtown,” said Councilmember Jessica Greenway. “It is not free, but it is very cheap – a buck an hour.”

The Transit Center, located at Third Street and Park Lane, officially opened for service on Saturday.

Reardon, Hague, Kirkland Mayor Joan McBride, Sound Transit Board Vice Chair and Issaquah Deputy Council President Fred Butler and Law spoke at the event and the Kamiakin Junior High Jazz Ensemble provided entertainment.

“This was a wonderful collaboration between all of our departments,” said McBride. “… Thank you for your patience as the Kirkland City Council mulled over the designs for many, many years.”

Sound Transit planned the project in cooperation with the city, King County Metro, King County Wastewater Treatment Division and King County Library System. This included working with the county to install piping and upgrade sewer lines for the planned upgrade of its wastewater treatment pump station, and collaborating with Kirkland Library to design the staircase sculpture that abuts the library building.

Hague also emphasized how important all means of transportation will become this spring.

“As tolling begins on 520, more and more of you will begin using Metro bus routes and this is a great addition,” said Hague.