Route 232 Continues Response to Post-Landslide Needs

Before the March 22 Oso landslide, Route 230 provided “lifeline” service to connect Darrington and Oso with Arlington and the rest of Snohomish County. The route ran two round trips each weekday, one in the morning and one in the evening. There weren’t a lot of riders, but this bus service offered a way to connect to the community if you didn’t have a car.

When the landslide shut down the Highway 530 connection to the county, there was a sense of isolation east of Oso. The only way to get to Arlington or Everett was to drive north into Skagit County and take a 2-to-3 hour trip. Not only was it inconvenient, at $3.75 or so a gallon it was also expensive.

Community Transit responded with Route 231, providing a bus trip on that long route at the bargain prices of $2 a ride (standard local adult fare). Because local residents might need to do some basic shopping and errands besides get to work, Route 231 made mid-day stops at the convenience store in Concrete, and the Food Pavilion and hospital in Sedro Woolley, along with morning and evening round trips. We've had as many as 20 people a day use this remote service.

Now that one lane of Highway 530 has been re-opened, Community Transit is returning to direct service to Darrington. Route 232 will provide morning and evening round trips, like Route 230 did, but Route 232 will also take people all the way to Smokey Point, which was a popular destination on the Route 231.

Route 230 will go away for now. While Route 220 between Arlington and Smokey Point will remain unchanged, Route 232 will serve the same stops as Route 220 at times when a transfer has not been very convenient. Thank you for your patience and support.

Doing What We Can to Help the Darrington Community

When the deadly landslide struck on March 22, it wiped out a section of Highway 530 between Oso and Darrington. That was the corridor our Route 230 used to provide "lifeline" bus service to residents of Darrington, taking them into Arlington and back home each weekday.

Flag flies at half-staff outside the Darrington Post Office.

With Route 230 truncated at the town of Oso, we considered how we might be able to serve residents east of the slide. Our CEO challenged us to "find a way" to get bus service to those who previously used Route 230 and those who might now need affordable transportation into and out of the area.

Thus, Route 231 was born. It was the quickest route created in Community Transit history -- three days from idea to implementation. On Friday, March 28, the first "Route 231 - Special" bus rolled into Darrington just before 7 a.m.

This bus takes an 80-mile "re-route" north on I-5, east on Highway 20 at Burlington, and south on Highway 530 at Rockport. Early morning and early evening trips travel directly between Everett and Darrington to help people get to work, or elsewhere in Snohomish County. Two morning and mid-day trips loop between Whitehorse (west of Darrington) and Burlington, providing a link to shopping, medical and other amenities in Skagit County.

Community Transit has also been called upon by Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management to provide large vans to help transport rescue workers to the landslide scene, and families of victims to the shelter areas to visit loved ones. Each day for the past week, 2-to-4 of our vans and drivers have provided this emergency transportation assistance.

We have also let local residents know that vanpools are an attractive option for people needing to get to work in Snohomish County without making a long and costly trip by themselves. At least three vanpools have been created to get people from Darrington to worksites in the Arlington area each day.

At a time of unprecedented tragedy in our community, we are doing what we can to help.