Mercer Island Transit Interchange

The Mercer Island Transit Interchange (MITI) is the integration of bus transit service from the Eastside with East Link light rail. When East Link opens for service, some bus routes from the Eastside to Seattle will terminate at Mercer Island Station, where passengers will transfer to/from light rail. Sound Transit now expects to open for service in spring 2025.

Learn more by reading the articles below, or peruse the Document Library; use the tools below to Ask a Question or Post a Comment.

We're Working on Answering All Your Questions

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At the March 19 Council Meeting, representatives from Metro and Sound Transit provided a lot of insight into bus operations and roundabout construction. We received a number of questions during that night's 90-minute session, as well as others that continue to come in via this site. We are gathering data from the agencies and posting the responses as soon as possible...
You can watch the meeting footage here on the Council YouTube Channel -- Thank you!
Submit Your Questions Today About Interchange Operations

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In advance of a March 19 Council Study Session (meeting materials posted here), the City is gathering questions from the public about the future operations of the transit interchange that will allow regional buses to exchange passengers with East Link Light Rail trains (starting in 2023). Please use the Ask a Question Tab to submit yours, or check the FAQ page.
Background on the 2017 Sound Transit-Mercer Island Settlement Agreement

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In fall of 2017, the City of Mercer Island and Sound Transit approved a Settlement Agreement intended to offset the impacts of light rail construction and operation, and also to partially compensate for permanent impacts to local traffic patterns. The Settlement Agreement includes a package of mitigation measures valued at just over $10 million, including key community-identified priorities:
- Traffic/Safety Enhancements and Last Mile Solutions: $5.3 million to address vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian access issues resulting from the closure of the Center Roadway and fund “last/first-mile solutions” that enable Islanders to access transit without driving.
- Parking: $4.6 million that will provide approximately 100 additional commuter parking stalls during the East Link construction period (2017-2023), and will fund construction of new commuter parking for residents.
- Bus-Rail Integration: No bus facility will be built on 80^th Avenue - instead, all pick-up and drop-offs will continue to occur on North Mercer Way and bus volumes will be comparable to today.
The Settlement Agreement further details the following points of agreement for the transit interchange:
- A roundabout at N Mercer Way & 77th Ave, and no substantial bus operations/layovers along 80th Ave
- Future bus volumes less than existing bus volumes
- No routing of regional buses through MI Town Center
- Limited occurrences of long bus layovers
- No bus idling