Transit between counties needs stop in Smokey Point

I am temporarily living at the Home 2 hotel in Marysville. My “home” area is up in the Mount Vernon and Burlington area in Skagit County. I’ve lived there for 16 years. I want to make a suggestion to the state Department of Transportation, with the hope they act on it with maximum speed.

Due to knee problems and a complex surgery on my left knee, I am eligible to ride on the Paratransit (DART in Snohomish County) bus service. To get to a medical appointment, however, requires a waste of extra time, extra fuel, extra miles to get from Point A to Point B. Example: DART picks me up here at the Home 2. Southbound on the freeway, the bus takes me to Everett Station where I wait for the Skagit 90X bus. This one will take me north up to Skagit Station, driving right past my hotel. At Skagit Station, I’ll hopefully board my Paratransit bus (if the timing works out) and be taken to my appointment. Return trip is being picked up from my appointment location and taken back to Skagit Station. I will then board the southbound Skagit 90X for the ride to Everett Station (passing the Home 2 along the way) and get to Everett Station. Then, I’ll board the DART bus for the ride back to the hotel. Cost is $9 round trip!

You know what’s coming next! Build a Smokey Point station for us northenders! (Similar to the northend dropoff bus area in Burlington! Of course, DART would also drop off passengers to be picked up by the Skagit 90X bus. This way, the Skagit 90X could drop us off at Smokey Point Station and DART can pick us up and take us back to our original pick up spot.

Doesn’t this make perfect sense, or is this just too logical?

Linda Solbeck

Marysville

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