Five electric vehicle charging stations are being installed in downtown Kirkland this week at three separate locations.

King County is partnering with the City of Kirkland to construct the stations, including two at the southwest corner of the Marina Park parking lot; two at the Peter Kirk Municipal Garage next to the elevators; and one at City Hall, east of the north entrance.

The city’s contractor began work on the charging stations this week and is expected to be complete by mid-November.

Commuters and pedestrians should expect some work zone inconvenience between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.

The city is part of the largest public investment in electric vehicle infrastructure improvements in our region to date. Kirkland was awarded a Clean Cities grant from Western Washington Clean Cities administered by King County and funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

This effort will benefit individuals who drive electric vehicles and are likely to be dependent on vehicle recharging stations at park-and-ride lots.

Over the past few years, Metro Transit has already installed several charging stations at park-and-ride lots throughout the county, including one at the Brickyard Park-and-Ride in Kirkland. This location has five outlets.

Electric-vehicle owners may register to use these charging stations by calling 206-625-4500 or visiting www.rideshareonline.com/electric.

For project updates on the Kirkland charging stations, call the construction hotline at (425) 587-3838.

For more information about the county’s charging station program, visit the county’s website.