Comments on: News Round-Up

By: Brian Bundridge

Brian Bundridge — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:43:43 +0000

Fun Fact!

GM helped develop the hybrid drive system for our Hybrid Buses.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:42:28 +0000

It would be elevated all the way to Lynnwood? What about to Redmond and south of Seatac? Is it going to be all elevated or grade separated?

By: Lor Scara

Lor Scara — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:38:11 +0000

not to mention that there are a couple of airlines that want to locate at Painfield in Everett (Alegiant, and one other)

By: Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:05:25 +0000

You mean subway vs non-subway?

The underground stations will be Beacon Hill, International District, Pioneer Square, University Street, Westlake, Capitol Hill, Husky Stadium, Brooklyn, and Roosevelt.

Bellevue might get an underground station, though there isn’t currently funding for it. If funding does become available, either via bellevue chipping in or a grant of some sort, you could see the main downtown bellevue station be underground.

By: Leif

Leif — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:03:35 +0000

The airport issue can be solved pretty quickly if Ron Sims wanted to. There were proposals by both Southwest and Alaska to move operations to Boeing field in 2005 that Sims rejected. That would have freed up tons of space at Seatac and would have helped reduce pollution since so many more people go from Everett/Seattle to Seatac then from our more Southern neighbors. And yes, I think Paine wants an airline as well, so that would be an option.

By: JoshMahar

JoshMahar — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:29:45 +0000

Complete unrelated to anything above:

Does anyone know the split of above and below ground for ST2 and in which areas this will be?

By: Max

Max — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:30:32 +0000

I’ve heard something about Paine Field as an option, and also Boeing Field.

By: ed

ed — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:09:48 +0000

As for having detroit make a fleet of green cars for the federal government…
it would do nothing to address the industry’s incompetence or the union’s unreasonable demands. let the foriegn car companies take over, theyre better run and better products and still have US plants.

these detroit green cars would just be lemons painted green.

By: SeaTacSally

SeaTacSally — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:35:33 +0000

BurienBen is correct about the separation rules, and Joshua is also correct about arrivals. The Port expects delays to be cut in half with the third runway, benefiting both airlines and passengers.

It should also be noted, the opening of the third runway will not mean any additional fee or tax. No public taxes are being used to pay the debt, neither is it a cost being passed on to airline landing fees. They are using Passenger Facility Charges to pay off the debt. That’s something we’ve always been paying and it can’t go up without Congressional approval. So, they’re managing their money to use the fees already being collected to pay off the debt.

By: BurienBen

BurienBen — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:53:21 +0000

Both runways at SeaTac are set up for instruments landings. However, aircraft separation must be as if there is only one runway since the runways are too close together.

With the third runway the more planes will be able to land in any given hour, allowing more flights to be on time, therefore allowing the airlines to keep to their schedules and gate assignments, reducing delays for departures as well. All delays at airports have a cascading effect throughout the day on opearations all over the country. Any extra capacity at any airport these days is much needed. Even with the economic downturn.

By: BurienBen

BurienBen — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:48:25 +0000

The airport at Moses Lake was a military airport years ago. It has been civilian for years.

By: Joshua Kelley

Joshua Kelley — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:39:01 +0000

…since Sea-Tac will likely be overcrowded again by 2024.

While I was (and still am) opposed to the third runway being built, as my family’s old house was under the flight path, it should be noted that the primary reason for the third runway is NOT to reduce overcrowding. It is to help get planes on the ground in inclement weather. Only one of the runways is currently set up for instrument landings, so having two at times when landings have to be spaced out more gets the incoming planes on the ground.

By: Loren Petrich

Loren Petrich — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:36:18 +0000

I’ve seen some speculation of turning a military airfield at Moses Lake into such an airport, but it would need high-speed-rail access, since it is about 178 miles away on I-90. Back in the early 1990′s, someone proposed a maglev line, but maglev has not been very successful. There is an existing railroad line that goes near it, BNSF’s Everett-Spokane line through Stevens Pass, but it is not very well adapted to continuous 150-200-mph travel.