The Kirkland Transit Center on Third Street between Central Way and Kirkland Avenue closed this week as construction for a new transit center will begin in mid-October.

The new center, which is scheduled for completion by Dec. 2010, will replace the current 22-year-old structure and improve the speed and reliability of bus service.

The $13.3 million project also includes new bus bays, four passenger shelters, enhanced pedestrian crossings, widened sidewalks, traffic improvements, bicycle amenities and public art.

During a community open house Sept. 8, about 30 attendees came to the Kirkland Teen Center to learn more about the project and how officials plan to manage downtown traffic and bus service during construction.

“It’s a betterment of the neighborhood. It’s going to look fantastic,” said Barry Alavi, project manager for Sound Transit, which has partnered with the City of Kirkland and King County Metro for the project.

The crux of the project is to handle existing capacity issues, said Sally Turner, project manager with King County Metro.

“We actually have existing problems with the service,” Turner said. “Often times there are too many buses coming in to get to the base to get out of the traffic lane, so they delay traffic.”

The project will shift some of the buses and expand the base to handle existing downtown service.

During construction, Park Lane and all southbound lanes on Third Street will be closed. One lane of northbound traffic will remain open on Third Street between Kirkland Avenue and Central Way.

Jack Whisner, bus route planner for Metro, said officials kept the northbound lane open because there’s currently PM peak congestion going in that direction.

“But I would expect Sixth to be congested in the morning going southbound because it’ll be carrying the volume that was on Third,” he noted.

Interim bus stops have also been set up eastbound and westbound in front of Wendy’s on Central Way just east of Third Street, southbound on Sixth street just south of Fourth Avenue and northbound on Sixth Street just north of Kirkland Way.

Every downtown bus route has changed, except route 248. Whisner said the biggest change is on route 255, which connected to all the downtown routes before the transit center closed. With the new schedule, route 255 will not serve State or 68th streets, but patrons can transfer to and from the route from Sixth Street.

Patrice Christensen, who lives in Kirkland and is a frequent Metro rider, said she came to the meeting to make sure she would still be able to catch the bus where it was convenient. Not only will she still catch her bus in the same place, but her stop to get off the bus will be closer to where she lives.

“I think it’s just going to be a wonderful thing – we needed it,” she said of the new transit center.

Mary Lou Harris, who lives across the street from the transit center in the Plaza, said she was concerned about the traffic flow and her security. Sometimes when she gets off the bus that serves route 255 and it’s dark “it feels a little uncomfortable to me, even though I have a very short distance to walk,” Harris said.

She said the project is “quite well thought out. It looks like it will be rather attractive and that’s something I’ll be grateful for.”

Other residents were concerned about some of the trees that will be taken out during construction.

Sandy Glover, project manager with INCA Engineers Inc., said her firm had an arborist look at the trees, some of which weren’t in good shape. As a result, several of the trees will be removed and replaced with new trees. The city will replant other trees in good condition in local parks.

Prior to installation of the new transit amenities, all new utilities, including sewer, storm and water, will be constructed under the new transit center.

For trip planning and transit information, call 206-553-3000 or visit www.kingcounty.gov/metro.