Sound Transit – Page 2 – Seattle Transit Blog

West Seattle Link Costs Keep Climbing

September 19, 2024September 19, 2024 by Nathan Dickey

*A rendering of the West Seattle Link Extension’s planned cable-stayed bridge over the Duwamish. (Sound Transit)*

Last week, Sound Transit released the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the West Seattle Link Extension (WSLE) ahead of its scheduled publication date of September 20. Although there’s technically one more comment period allowed for the FEIS, the massive document and its findings present a detailed review of each of the potential alternative paths Link may take from SODO to West Seattle.

Although the FEIS is focused on a vast range of potential tangible and intangible impacts the project may have, left unstated are the potential impacts of the project costs significantly exceeding Sound Transit’s assumptions in their 2021 Realignment.

Metro and ST Restructure for Lynnwood Link

September 14, 2024September 16, 2024 by Ross Bleakney

Metro and Sound Transit will restructure bus routes in the north end on September 14, 2024 (two weeks after the opening of Lynnwood Link). The changes will occur at the same time as the changes surrounding RapidRide G which is why Metro is listing them on the same service change page. Here is a list of some of the main changes:

New Routes:

61: Lake City to Greenwood via Northgate)
333: Mountlake Terrace to Shoreline South Station via Shoreline Community College
365: Shoreline North Station to Northgate via Meridian Avenue and Haller Lake

Modified Routes:

28, 65, 303, 322, 331, 345, 346, and RapidRide E
Sound Transit 510, 512, 513, and 515
Sounder North

Deleted Routes:

16, 20, 47, 64, 73, 301, 302, 304, 320, 330, and 347

Details after the break.

Reshaping Pigeon Point

August 16, 2024August 15, 2024 by Nathan Dickey

*The preferred route of the West Seattle Link Extension as presented to the Seattle Design Commission, by Sound Transit.*

On July 18, the Seattle Design Commission met with Sound Transit to review its proposed design (pdf) for the West Seattle Link Extension‘s high bridge over the Duwamish and its landing at Pigeon Point. Although the cable-stayed bridge might end up being the most visually impressive component of the project, Sound Transit also expects to radically reshape Pigeon Point during construction of the light rail extension.

Lynnwood Link Opening Ceremonies

July 20, 2024July 22, 2024 by Nathan Dickey

A four-car light rail vehicle stopped at the Lynnwood City Center station on the first day of full-size train testing on the 1 Line link extension to Lynnwood, July 8, 2024. — *A Link light rail train stopped at the Lynnwood Center Station during service testing.*
*Photo: Peter Bohler courtesy of Sound Transit.*

On Thursday, Sound Transit staff presented the plan for Lynnwood Link Extension’s opening ceremonies to the Board’s Rider Experience and Operations Committee.

At 11am on Friday, August 30, Sound Transit will hold a ribbon cutting to formally open the Lynnwood Link Extension of the 1 Line. Like the opening ceremony of the 2 Line, the ribbon cutting will be preceded by speeches from elected officials, board members, and stakeholders. The first official public ride will take place from Lynnwood City Center Station following the ceremony.

That evening (4pm to 8pm), Sound Transit is planning a Night Market at Lynnwood City Center station and events at each of the stations opening along the line. ST estimates over 350 organizations are signed up to participate across the four opening stations, including performances, food vendors, arts and crafts booths, games, and more. There will also be a commemorative map encouraging participants to visit new each station along the extension.

Boeing Access Road Station Project

July 11, 2024July 11, 2024 by Martin Pagel

Sound Transit plans to build an infill station at Boeing Access Road (BAR) in Tukwila, in addition to the Graham street infill station. To start the public engagement, Sound Transit opened an online open house and will host an in-person event on Wednesday, July 16th, nearby. Again, they suggested two locations: (A) next to the Sounder tracks along BAR or (B) a bit further south along East Marginal Way South.

*Area of potential future BAR station facing north along E Marginal Way South. Photo: Martin Pagel.*

Graham Street Station Project

July 9, 2024July 8, 2024 by Martin Pagel

As part of ST3, Sound Transit plans to build an infill station at Graham Street between the Columbia City and Othello stations. To start the public engagement, Sound Transit opened an online open house and will host an in-person event on Tuesday, July 16th, nearby.

*Area of future Graham Street station, facing north along MLK Way. Photo: Martin Pagel*.

Lynnwood Link Begins Simulated Service

July 8, 2024July 8, 2024 by Nathan Dickey

Eastside Transit video of Lynnwood Link operations testing last week.

In preparation for its August 30 opening, Sound Transit has begun simulating full service on Lynnwood Link as part of its “pre-revenue” testing. Northbound 1 Line trains will operate as usual, showing Northgate as their terminus. However, electronic signage on northbound 1 Line platforms will show the incoming trains as bound for Lynnwood.

Riders will be asked to leave the train at Northgate, then the whole train will continue north to simulate full-frequency service. Riders hoping to continue to Lynnwood will have to transfer to Sound Transit’s Route 512 until the extension opens.

Southbound trains will only accept passengers from the southbound side of platform once they arrive empty from Lynnwood, a welcome change from the previous arrangement of departing trains accepting passengers from whichever side of the platform the train happens to be waiting.

However, current riders don’t have to wait until August 30 to start seeing changes to Link.

SDOT seeking feedback on WSLE station street concepts

June 17, 2024June 14, 2024 by Nathan Dickey

The Seattle Department of Transportation is asking for feedback on draft design concepts it’s created for West Seattle Link Extension stations, seemingly based on the assumed alignment of an aerial station at Delridge, a retained-cut station at Avalon, and an underground station at Alaska Junction.

*Map of assumed station areas, courtesy of SDOT.*

The designs and notable concepts featured in the survey are summarized below.

In Defense of West Seattle Link

June 13, 2024December 15, 2025 by Nathan Dickey

Ever since the Sound Transit 3 ballot measure was being assembled, the West Seattle Link Extension has been a contentious project. Frank Chiachiere wrote in 2016: “not since the days of the Monorail has a rapid transit extension stirred up so much debate amongst the armchair planners.” Transit advocates have long known the project would be expensive and difficult, but for an extension that was strongly demanded by Seattle leaders and definitively approved by ST3 voters, why is it still so controversial? Let’s look at how we got here, starting with a brief history of how the current project came to be, and think about where we should be going.

This map from “The Rapid Transit Plan for the Metropolitan Seattle Area”, 1970, highlights the topographic difficulties facing any project to connect West Seattle to Downtown. Image clipped from a scan shared by Bruce Englehardt on Reddit.

Environmental Impact of Transit Projects such as the West Seattle Link Extension

October 3, 2023October 3, 2023 by Martin Pagel

One of the FTA’s stated goals is to help “metropolitan areas meet national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) by reducing overall vehicle emissions and the pollutants that create smog” and to reduce “fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions.” So we just need to build more transit, right? But what about construction-related emissions? The recent Seattle Transportation Plan (p. 188 3-98) draft states that, “Given the transient nature of construction-related emissions and regulatory improvements scheduled to be phased in, construction-related emissions associated with all alternatives would be considered only a minor adverse air quality effect.” However, Sound Transit’s draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) estimates that the West Seattle Link extension (WSLE) will generate 614,461 tons of carbon. As so often the answer is: It depends!