A Historical Day in Federal Way

Good afternoon from a very hot, I mean Texas hot 90 degree, Washington. It’s that terrible! Sorry Texans, but it’s the truth. Nothing is good about this heat. And no one will ever convince me to move back to Texas, all because of the damn heat. I love everything about Texas, but the heat and the cowboys. Nuff said about Texas.

On this beautiful but very hot day, the contractors of the Angle Lake to Federal Way Light Rail decided they’re going to make it a historical day and erected the cross section over 320th Street in Downtown Federal Way. That’s the last piece before it’s going to sit for years and God knows when construction will restart again to extend it all way down to Tacoma. But this is the final piece in this phase of the Expand Light Rail Plan. Years ago, they extended it down to Angle Lake, which is several blocks south of the SEATAC airport.

So, if you plan to visit me in 2024, don’t expect me to come pick you up from Seatac. You’ll have to catch the light rail from the airport and ride it all the way into town. You can then call me to come pick you up, or better yet, catch the bus straight to my street. Prepare to climb the hill though.

You know what’s sad. That America is way way behind when it comes to transportation. It’s 2022, exactly 28 years after I left Japan riding driverless trains from one side of Yokohama to the other. That’s how far behind we are here. And who knows when it will finally reach Tacoma. Maybe not in my lifetime. Very sad.

One bright side is that value of homes in my part of town will not tank anytime soon. Why? Because the light rail will make it that more appealing to live in Federal Way and work in Downtown Seattle, Bellevue or at the airport. More people will move into town to live closer to the light rail and conveniently riding it to work instead of spending hours in traffic on the highways. All those young married couples with newborn babies working for Amazon and other high tech companies in Downtown Seattle will now have more options to choose from. They will have a reason to move out of the Downtown area.

And that, ladies and gentlemen is progress.