Background and Need for the Rapid Transit Study

Travel in Bellingham is becoming slower and less reliable due to increasing congestion. Expanding road capacity isn’t feasible in most cases—existing corridors have a finite limit, and congestion will continue to grow, making car travel more difficult in the future. Reliable and frequent bus service is critical to providing a viable alternative to driving, but buses lose their value if they are stuck in traffic or inconvenient to use.

WTA is studying how to deliver better bus service on a rapid transit corridor that reduces delays and improves reliability. This effort is essential to:

• Support Population and Employment Growth: Bellingham’s Urban Villages and transit corridors are growing, and reliable transit is key to connecting people with housing, jobs, and services.
• Provide Sustainable Travel Options: A robust transit system helps more people choose environmentally friendly ways to travel, such as by bus, bike, or on foot.
• Grow the Capacity of Our Transportation Network: Rapid transit ensures that the transportation system can accommodate more trips without adding cars to already congested roads.

• Enhanced transit improvements are feasible for Bellingham based on current land use patterns and projected ridership demand.
• Infrastructure upgrades such as queue jumps, transit signal priority, and dedicated bus lanes are needed to ensure reliable and faster bus service.
• A phased approach could begin with enhanced transit service—featuring more frequent buses, optimized signal operations, improvements at congestion points, and bus stop balancing—and could transition to full Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) if federal funding is awarded.

The main goal of Phase 2 of the Rapid Transit Study is to shape and gain consensus around a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA). The Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) will involve selecting between the Enhanced Go Line and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), each offering distinct levels of investment and improvements for transit service.

The Enhanced Go Line focuses on targeted upgrades like hot spot improvements, closer stop spacing, and amenities at key stops, while the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) option provides a higher level of infrastructure, such as dedicated bus lanes, fewer stops, enhanced boarding features, and stronger support for transit-oriented development (TOD).

The Locally Preferred Alternative will be adopted by the WTA Board of Directors and the Bellingham City Council.