Metro’s George Benson Waterfront Streetcar Line is a favorite with Seattle tourists and natives alike. The old-fashioned streetcars are the backdrop for thousands of photographs – even starring in Hollywood movies. And, starting this fall, the seven streetcar stations along Alaskan Way will get a makeover worthy of a true celebrity.

Metro plans to refurbish all seven waterfront streetcar stations along Alaskan Way to replace leaking roofs and upgrade the appearance of the shelters that are located in some of the most-visited areas of the city – such as the Pike Place Market, the ferry docks, and the entrance to Pioneer Square.

Station colors will change from brown to marine blue, complimented with Metro's newest window treatment featuring etched waves. Improvements will also include black benches, litter receptacles, railings, and replacement of the internal shelter lighting. Station-identification signage, as well as the free-standing and viaduct-hung signs, will be replaced to match the new color scheme.

Metro staff from Power & Facilities, Design & Construction, Information Production, and Transit Route Facilities have worked collaboratively with George Benson, the "father" of the waterfront streetcar line, and the waterfront community group to create this new and improved enhancement for Seattle's harborside streetscape.

The current schedule for shelter replacement should begin in October and be completed by the end of the year. During the replacements, each station may be closed for a short time, but Metro will make every effort to alert passengers in advance. The project will begin with the Broad Street Station and finish at Washington Street Station. The Occidental Station in Pioneer Square is not scheduled for refurbishing until 2004.

The Waterfront Streetcar was officially renamed "George Benson Waterfront Streetcar Line" by King County Executive Ron Sims on June 1, 2002 in honor of the former city councilman who worked to bring the historic streetcars to Seattle. The streetcars originally operated in Melbourne, Australia in the 1920s. They were brought to Seattle in the 1980s, and have been operating as part of Metro’s fleet for 21 years.

In the Soos Creek area, the county wants to temporarily reduce the speed limit on two sections of 140^th Avenue Southeast for road construction safety. The reduction would be in effect while construction is ongoing on the roadway - approximately through the summer of 2004.

Near Snoqualmie, the county is proposing to increase the speed limits on roads connecting the Snoqualmie Ridge area to Interstate 90 – Echo Glen Parkway and Snoqualmie Parkway – to be consistent with other roads in the area.

The department will hold a public hearing about this proposal on Thursday, Aug. 28 at 10:30 a.m. in Room 2A of the King Street Center, 201 S. Jackson St., Seattle. For more information, click here.

This certification is a nationally recognized achievement for automotive shops. The award was received after more than 75 percent of the technicians met the national institute’s exhaustive training and testing standards. Fleet’s Renton Shop was awarded this certification in 2002. Within the State of Washington, only 50 automotive shops have met the standards for Blue Seal certification. King County Fleet Administration has the only governmental shops that have met the standards.

"This recognition symbolizes the efforts of Fleet staff to provide excellent customer service at a competitively low cost to the county," said Fleet Administration Director Windell Mitchell.

Once again this summer, King County International Airport at Boeing Field played an important role in the Eagles Aviation Camp.

More than 200 student campers visited the airport to get an insiders’ look at aviation and aviation-related careers. Each student took a flight over Seattle, in addition to visiting businesses around the field.

The annual camp is presented in partnership with the Black Pilots Association and Alaska Airlines. It is held annually to encourage minority youngsters to consider careers in aviation.

SW 216^th Street, Vashon Island -- A four-block stretch of Southwest 216th Street on Vashon Island will be closed until 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5. During the closure, crews will be replacing a culvert under the roadway. Motorists can detour via Southwest 204th Street;
David Powell Road, near Fall City – This road closure from Southeast 56^th Street to the road’s end is extended through Aug. 15;
Skykomish River Bridge near the Money Creek Campground, west of the town of Skykomish, will be closed from Tuesday, July 15 through late September;
North Fork Bridge on 428th Avenue Southeast, east of North Bend — The bridge will be closed through August for a seismic upgrade;
Sahalee Way Northeast at State Route 202, north of Sammamish — Crews will be working on signal and lane improvements into August; traffic disruptions will be intermittent;
Dockton Road Southwest on Vashon Island — Closed through September, while crews rebuild the seawall;
Southeast 248th Street, east of Lake Wilderness — Closed through August 20 to replace the Cedar River Trail trestle over the roadway and the wooden culvert underneath the street;
Preston Bridge — Southeast 82nd Street over the Raging River is closed through October.