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Monday, December 7, 2009

Transportation Sound Transit Drags Its Feet on Light Rail Plans for Ballard and West Seattle

Posted by on Mon, Dec 7, 2009 at 9:47 AM

When voters passed Sound Transit's second phase in 2008, the package (known as "Sound Transit 2") included funds meant to study future light rail extensions. Just this September, Mayor-elect Mike McGinn said during the campaign that he wants to put light rail extensions on the ballot within two years. Seattle voters are big transit supporters; they're willing to support just about anything transit-related. If McGinn wants to get light rail to West Seattle and Ballard on the ballot within two years, Sound Transit will have to start these studies soon. The bad news? More than a year after voters unleashed the funds, the Sound Transit board hasn't made a decision on when these studies will start.

According to Sound Transit spokesman Geoff Patrick from, "The board is in a process to identify the timelines for implementing the different elements of Sound Transit 2, and they haven't established a timeframe for doing that study."

Are they considering whether to study these new light rail lines? "[That] would be a significant policy question that would need to go before the board as an item for discussion, and that hasn't occurred yet."

Sound Transit allows the their board—comprised of elected officials—to take the lead. Which is why the Sound Transit board is so important when it comes to pushing the agency to study new light rail lines other than those included in ST2. If Mayor-elect McGinn and City Council President Richard Conlin want to put light rail on the ballot city-wide within two years, it will take tremendous leadership, not unlike that shown by outgoing Mayor Greg Nickels when Hizzoner fought to put light rail on the ballot after it had failed the previous year.

 

Comments (17) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment
1
remove the apostrophe, dude
Posted by mc gristledick on December 7, 2009 at 9:50 AM
Dominic Holden 2
@ 1) That was my fault.
Posted by Dominic Holden on December 7, 2009 at 9:52 AM
3
The ST board changes composition pretty drastically with the November election and new appointments. For something that became a campaign issue, perhaps the decision was made to wait until the new board is seated? Not sure on the time-line for that.
Posted by bdferris on December 7, 2009 at 10:04 AM
Will in Seattle 4
If they can find a way not to serve those areas, they will.

Which is why the City has to hold their feet to the fire.
Posted by Will in Seattle http://www.facebook.com/WillSeattle on December 7, 2009 at 10:52 AM
5
Sound Transit hadn't planned to start the studies for light rail to Ballard and West Seattle for another couple of years. Since Sound Transit's revenue dribbles in over time there may not be the money in the budget currently to fund a study. If the City of Seattle wants to explore putting a city funded line in to Ballard and West Seattle they may have to provide Sound Transit with the funding to do the study.

(so the short answer is "it's about money")
Posted by Chris Stefan on December 7, 2009 at 10:56 AM
6
ST is too embarassed to go forward with plans in this corridor, because it turns out that you can't get up the bridge in a light rail, you need a new bridge, and also you need elevated or else travel times are too slow with surface rail, and surface rail will take up too much street space.....so in the end, you do need elevated.

and we all know why ST leaders just can't bring themselves to say that!
Posted by Let's whitewash the history of killing transit ... on December 7, 2009 at 11:26 AM
Will in Seattle 7
@6 - the bridge part is true. A wise person would realize that having a bridge over a federal waterway means you have seven layers of government to deal with, instead of the usual four ... and build UP TO the bridge and stop.

Then let political pressure build.

But we have a scarcity of wise people here .. maybe I need to get that doctorate after all ...
Posted by Will in Seattle http://www.facebook.com/WillSeattle on December 7, 2009 at 11:58 AM
meanie 8
we had a study already for the monorail. selling that property was the most short sided decision made in the last ten years. Pay a shitty consultant to use the monorails studies and repackage them for ST, this isnt rocket science
Posted by meanie http://www.spicealley.net on December 7, 2009 at 1:24 PM
9
What the hell?

Will, when you called me while researching this, I gave you enough information to have a much better post than this. You've completely ignored a number of points to make an inflammatory post that helps absolutely no one.

The money for a study isn't "freed up" - it won't be available until 2015. It's as simple as that. If McGinn wants money from Sound Transit sooner than that, he'd have to give up another project.

Sorry it's a non-story, but wow, you knew it was a non-story a month ago.
Posted by Ben Schiendelman on December 7, 2009 at 3:25 PM
10
Apparently Slog comments are serious business now? WiS /researches/ his posts? Now I've heard everything.

Ben, that is some useful information. Thank you.
Posted by RL is too lazy to log in on December 7, 2009 at 3:50 PM
11
It was McGinn who promised to have a West Seattle - Ballard light rail line on the ballot in two years, not Sound Transit. I don't see how you can accuse Sound Transit of dragging their feet on a McGinn campaign promise, hell, the guy isn't even in office yet. The ST2 documents show that the planning study for West Seattle - Ballard is scheduled for sometime around 2015, and the schedule has been that way since ST2 was voted on last year. The revenue that is coming in right now is dedicated to projects that are actually under construction and approved by the voters, if McGinn wants money spent on hypothetical projects than he'll need to get the city to pony up for it. Until that happens it is unfair to accuse ST of dragging their feet.
Posted by Vernor on December 7, 2009 at 5:49 PM
Anc 12
http://seattletransitblog.com/2009/12/07…

A link to Ben's rebuttal if anyone cares to read it.
Posted by Anc on December 7, 2009 at 5:52 PM
Tingleyfeeln 13
We killed the monorail authority, not monorail technology! The route should have been sold to Sound transit. It should also be 2 lines meeting in the middle. God Seattle is retarded!
Posted by Tingleyfeeln on December 7, 2009 at 7:47 PM
14
Will has a douchebag back when he was begging for money on HA, and he still is.
Posted by ser on December 7, 2009 at 10:13 PM
15
Will was a douchebag back when he was begging for money on HA, and he still is.
Posted by ser on December 7, 2009 at 10:13 PM
16
Tacoma to Federal Way should have priority for study over a new Ballard line, at least until Seattle voters approve $$$$$.
Posted by D. Tooley on December 8, 2009 at 8:55 AM
17
This is probably the dumbest and most poorly researched thing I've ever read here. And believe you me, that is saying something.
Posted by Jason Mitchell on December 8, 2009 at 10:09 AM

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