The road through Tacoma was paved, not with gold, but with cobblestones.

Big, heavy and rather lumpy, the cobblestones of Tacoma were either repurposed granite ballast from ships returning from England or sandstone blocks cut from the mine in Wilkeson.

Either way, they are beneath many old city streets, remaining on the surface only in a few areas of town, mainly in historic Old Town. Many hundreds have been dug up by work crews building the Sound Transit Sounder link between S. M Street and Freighthouse Square.

Robert Magoon, who owns a business in the area, wondered what would happen …

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Sound Transit kicks off an enhanced parking enforcement program this month at its Sounder stations and park-and-ride lots.

The purpose is to ensure these popular commuter areas are properly used:

The move comes after Sounder commuter rail and ST Express bus riders complained that parking is overcrowded because vehicles are parked overnight in lots or improperly parked.

Of the 21 transit centers Sound Transit operates in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties that provide parking, Sound Transit said six are at 99 percent capacity or above, and seven are at least 90 percent full.

Here is Sound Transit’s plan:

Beginning Jan. 15, parking

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