How a maintenance crew turned their commutes into a multimodal adventure

By Hannah Weinberger 

This is your sign to start a commute club with your work friends

The next time you see a group riding scooters or carrying them on light rail, give them a wave: They might be the same people keeping roads safe for all of us to use.

The scooter crew is the talk of Washington State Department of Transportation’s Area 5 maintenance facility on South Spokane Street. For the past three months, six crew members who used to drive to work have turned recent scooter purchases into a daily commute they look forward to taking together, on streets they maintain.

Crew members with our Area 5 Maintenance team show off their scooters and colorful helmets. 

They’ve learned that switching up their travel habits not only makes their commutes easier, more affordable and more fun, but changes their relationship with work and our transportation network in interesting ways.

It started with crew member Lauro. While he used to live a five-minute drive from work, moving to Federal Way had him rethinking his commute. When the new Federal Way light rail station opened, he got more serious about buying a scooter – and when gas prices surged this spring, he took the plunge.

By that point, Julian, Woody, Xavier, Scott and Luis had been talking about buying scooters for as much as a year. “I think all of us were waiting for one person to do it,” Xavier says. The scooter crew started taking shape within days. Two of them joined Lauro in riding to the Federal Way station, taking light rail to SoDo, and arriving at work by way of the 6th Ave. protected bike lane that intersects the shed’s driveway. (They used to find the bike lane annoying as drivers. “The bike lanes are actually pretty good,” Luis says. “We are on board. We want more.”)

Two weeks later, they were four-riders strong. Then six. Then came the coordinated helmets and an action camera to capture the camaraderie.

Between the convenience of connecting with light rail, the affordability, the good company and conversation and not having to sit in traffic, scooter commuting had the crew hooked. Oh, and the scenic route helps. Scott gets Rainier views as he crosses the 520 Bridge to Bellevue by scooter or the new Line 2, while Luis scoots over a hilly trail that connects from a station all the way to his backyard. “You go slower, but it’s a pretty view. And it’s something that I don’t see when I drive, you know?” Luis says.

The crew that scoots together, it turns out, also looks forward to spending more time together. Where they used to leave in a rush to beat traffic on Thursdays and Fridays, they now spend that time hanging out and exploring the area. “I think knowing your coworkers outside of work is extremely important to build those relationships, and I think it creates a healthier work environment,” Scott says.

Operations and maintenance leaders agree. “It’s definitely a morale booster,” says Sage Jones, assistant superintendent for Area 5 maintenance. “When the guys come rolling in like that, when they’re happy… it affects the entire crew.” Sage and Alec Brown, also an assistant superintendent for Area 5 maintenance, are working to make transit and micromobility more accessible for crew members by allowing for some scheduling flexibility: When a crew member wanted to take a train to work but was worried about arriving a few minutes late, managers accommodated them. “We value what they bring as a whole, no matter how they get to work,” Alec says.

Meanwhile, the scooter commutes are taking on a life of their own. The more the crew rides, the more routes they dream of trying.

After noticing a long bike lane south of the maintenance facility, Lauro’s been selling his colleagues on a route that skips Light Rail entirely.

“ One day,” he says, “ we should scooter from [work] all the way to Federal Way.”

We’re moving forward on the SR 167 Implementation Plan

State Route 167 is one of the busiest and most important corridors in the Puget Sound region. It connects people to jobs and essential services, keeps freight moving, and links communities across South King and Pierce counties. But like many growing areas, it’s also facing increasing congestion and travel challenges.

That’s why we’re continuing work on the SR 167 Implementation Plan, the next step in turning a long-term vision into real, on-the-ground improvements.

What is the Implementation Plan?

A few years ago, we worked with communities and partners along the corridor to develop the SR 167 Master Plan. That effort identified a range of multimodal improvements and strategies to help address safety, mobility, and access along the corridor.

Now we’re building on that work.

The Implementation Plan focuses on identifying which projects to advance and how they align with funding and phasing. It builds on the Master Plan by outlining the technical work required to move projects forward, including early engineering, traffic analysis and cost estimating.

Our goal is to identify one or more packages of projects and outline the level of funding that would be needed to deliver them. Those recommendations will be shared with the Legislature to help inform future decisions about transportation investments.

How we’re evaluating projects

One of the most important parts of this work is figuring out which projects rise to the top.

We’re using the goals established in the SR 167 Master Plan to guide our evaluation. That includes looking at how each project or package performs across a range of factors, such as:

• Improving safety performance for people traveling on and across the corridor
• Supporting reliable travel for people and freight
• Expanding travel options, including transit, walking, biking, and rolling
• Reducing environmental impacts and supporting healthier communities
• Improving access for communities that have been historically underserved
• Making sure solutions are practical, deliverable, and a good use of public funds

We’re also looking at how projects work together. Instead of focusing on individual projects in isolation, we’re evaluating how groups of projects can be packaged and phased to deliver the greatest overall benefit for the corridor.

Working with partners every step of the way

We’re not doing this alone.

We’re working closely with cities, counties, transit agencies, freight, and community representatives throughout the corridor. That includes the SR 167 Equity Advisory Committee, which helps make sure community perspectives are part of the process.

Together, we meet regularly to review projects, talk through priorities and shape how projects could be grouped and delivered. This collaborative approach helps us balance technical analysis with what matters most to the people who commute, live and work along SR 167.

We’ll wrap up this effort with a final report to the Legislature in December 2026.

A new webpage to follow along

We recently launched a new webpage dedicated to the SR 167 Implementation Plan. It’s the best place to find background information, track progress, and stay up to date as the work continues.

If you’re interested in the future of the corridor, we encourage you to check it out and follow along.

See us in your community this summer

We’re also getting out into the community.

This summer, our team will be visiting neighborhoods along the corridor to share information and answer questions. You’ll be able to find us at local fairs and festivals, where we’ll be talking about what we’re studying and what it could mean for the future of SR 167. Here’s a look at where you can find us this summer:

• June 20–21, 2026: Sumner Rhubarb Days
• July 10–12, 2026: Kent Cornucopia Days
• July 18, 2026: Edgewood Summerfest
• July 24–26, 2026: Renton River Days
• Aug. 14–15, 2026: Milton Days

If you see us at an event, stop by and say hello. We’d love to talk with you.

What’s next

The Implementation Plan is a key step in moving from planning to delivery. By combining technical analysis with input from our partners and communities, we’re working toward a clear path forward for the corridor.

We’ll continue to share updates as the work progresses and let people know about opportunities to get involved. If you have any questions, please email I405SR167Program@wsdot.wa.gov. You can also sign up for email updates.

Illustrative drawing of potential SR 167/SR 18 interchange improvements that may be included in the recommended package of projects

Illustrative drawing of Kent Direct Access, which may be included in the recommended package of projects

A cool, shady era begins at the Quincy Valley Rest Area

They say an optimist is someone who plants two acorns and buys a hammock. Well, there were no hammocks in sight or acorns being planted on May 13 at the Quincy Valley Rest Area off SR 28, but there was plenty of optimism.

Students from the local 4-H clubs (Quincy Sportsman 4-H and GQ 4-H), aided and supervised by community members, spent the day planting trees at the rest area, to replace the dozens of honeylocusts that had to be removed due to an infestation earlier this month.

Children from Quincy-area schools spent a day planting trees at the WSDOT Quincy Valley Rest Area off State Route 28 on May 12, 2026. The new trees replaced older trees that had to be removed due to disease.

This time around, the children spruced the place up with a variety of trees: October Glory maples, Austrian pines, European hornbeam, American Elm. The goal was simple, and visionary: To replenish the rest area with trees for future generations of travelers to enjoy. They showed up, donned reflective vests and gloves, grabbed shovels and got right to work. The rest area remained closed while the children worked safely in the dirt.

We partnered with Quincy-area 4-H clubs to plant new trees at the Quincy Valley Rest Area on SR 28, on May 13. The old trees were removed earlier this spring due to disease.

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the youth volunteers who donated their time and energy to this project:

Brielle Baughman, Rayginn Baughman, Cora Tonne, Owen Tonne, Coulton Schwint, Addison Schwint, Bristol Knutson, Easton Dreher, Bentley Dreher, Braxton Dreher, and Chris Fuller.

Special thanks also go to group leaders Kristin Gans, Justine Schwint, Pauline Baughman, Jen Snyder, and Nichole Dreher, along with parent volunteers Michael Knutson, Stormy Baughman, and Jill Tonne, whose support and leadership helped make this restoration effort possible.

Because of their efforts, the Quincy Valley Safety Rest Area is beginning a new chapter — one that will provide shade, beauty, and a welcoming place to rest for travelers for decades to come.

Children and adults from the Quincy Valley worked side by side on May 12, 2026 planting trees at the Quincy Valley Rest Area off State Route 28. The children belonged to local 4-H clubs.