Last week, U.S. senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that the Federal Transit Administration will award a $15 million grant to the City of Seattle to make the Seattle Center Monorail Station fully accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
In October, Cantwell and Murray both wrote letters to FTA urging their support of the project.
The money is being awarded through FTA’s All Stations Accessibility Program, which aims to make America’s oldest transit systems accessible to people with disabilities. Cantwell and Murray supported the funding for the new ASAP program through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The program is funded at $1.75 billion over five years. Since passage of the BIL last November, Washington state has received $3.7 billion for nearly 500 transportation projects.
“Every year, more than a million riders rely on the historic Seattle monorail to get them where they need to go. But for passengers with disabilities, the Seattle Center station just isn’t accessible,” Cantwell said in a press release. “This project will level the station platform, improve the ramp to the platform, construct an elevator, and install tactile wayfinding features — all upgrades that will make riding the Seattle monorail a better experience for all.”
The Seattle Monorail, built in 1962, was the nation’s first full-scale commercial monorail system. The quick, traffic-free ride between Seattle Center and downtown is still popular, attracting 1.1 million riders between January and August of 2022. Approximately 12 million people visit Seattle Center every year.
Currently, the only ADA-compliant access to the Seattle Center station platform is via a roundabout route through the Armory building — and when the Armory is closed, that route is closed, too. Also, because the platform edge and train door openings aren’t level, Monorail staff must place a portable ramp down for wheelchairs to safely enter or exit the train.
The project will improve accessibility by:
• Leveling the station platform;
• Improve the ramp from Thomas St to the platform to be ADA compliant;
• Creating a second accessible entrance that connects to the north side of the station, closer to attractions like McCaw Hall, the International Fountain, and the Theater District;
• Improving tactile wayfinding for passengers who are blind or visually impaired ;
• Including more language options and translations;
• Improving lighting and pathways;
• Providing a vertical transportation options such a lift or elevator.
The total cost of the project is $23 million. In addition to the $15 million FTA grant, the project will receive $5 million from Move Ahead Washington and $3 million from the Puget Sound Regional Council.