Bus tunnel closed into next week

Seattle

The downtown Seattle bus tunnel will remain closed until at least Wednesday because of computer problems and the Christmas holiday.

Contractors and transit officials have replaced some allegedly faulty circuit boards in an electronic system that would control the tunnel's lights, signals, ventilation and elevators in the event of an emergency. Tests of the new parts were going well Friday afternoon, said Sound Transit spokesman Bruce Gray.

This week, the computer-controlled links failed between tunnel stations and an off-site operations base, run by King County Metro Transit.

Eighteen bus routes will continue to run on surface streets instead of in the tunnel. Metro's Christmas Day bus service is on a Sunday schedule, and the tunnel is usually closed on weekends.

Metro officials say they can't predict when the tunnel will reopen. Updates are available at transit.metrokc.gov and soundtransit.org.

Olympia

2 more counties added to aid list

Flood victims in King and Snohomish counties have been added to the list of people getting individual assistance after this month's storm and floods.

Gov. Christine Gregoire announced Friday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has added two counties to the individual disaster declaration.

Residents and businesses in nine counties are now eligible for individual assistance: King, Snohomish, Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Thurston, Clallam and Kitsap. They can get housing grants, loans and other help.

Renton

Car hits building; passenger killed