EVERETT — Commuters faced with tight parking at Everett Station are in for some relief.
A new 440-stall parking lot built by Sound Transit is opening at Everett Station today. The lot will nearly double the parking at the station, from its current 481 spaces to 921.
The lot is on the east side of the tracks, opposite the station. Drivers can get to the new lot at its north end from Hill Avenue just off Pacific Avenue and at the south end at 33rd Street and Hill. The station is at 3201 Smith Ave. A pedestrian bridge will connect commuters to the train platform south of the main building.
The $13.6 million project includes the lot, the bridge, a plaza area, a bus layover space, landscaping and public art.
Parking is frequently full or overflowing at Everett Station, Sound Transit spokesman Bruce Gray said.
“That lot is full at least 75 percent of the time,” he said.
Last summer’s high gas prices and the economic recession have encouraged more people to ride buses and trains, transportation agencies say. About three-quarters of the park-and-ride lots served by Sound Transit in the region are at capacity or already past it, according to the agency.
Everett Station serves the Sounder commuter rail, Sound Transit Express buses, Community Transit, Everett Transit, Greyhound and Amtrak.
“More parking means more people in Everett and Snohomish County can get to and from their jobs while reducing traffic,” said Everett City Councilman Paul Roberts, also a Sound Transit board member.
Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439, sheets@heraldnet.com.
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