Sound Transit is in the process of planning the West Seattle and Ballard Link light rail extensions and is now seeking feedback on preliminary options through April 28th.

In January, the agency reached a key milestone with its Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the West Seattle and Ballard Link Extensions. The DEIS is an important document that considers various light rail extension alignment, station, and construction options and their potential impacts. Now is the time to weigh in on the options so that Sound Transit can refine them and narrow down project alternatives that the Sound Transit Board of Directors can select from. 

We have put together a detailed comment letter to send to Sound Transit to improve its alternatives and ultimate plan for light rail. The comment letter is as follows:

Please consider my comments for the West Seattle and Ballard Link DEIS as follows:

A. General Comments

1. First and foremost, design the system for transit riders and the optimal rider experience. Traveling between the station platform and the surface should be quick, straightforward, and reliable. Transferring between transit lines should also be quick and easy, especially at the major transfer points at Westlake Station and International District/Chinatown Station.

2. Build the system to maximize ridership. Design a good rider experience and ridership should follow. Still, even the most elegant station will struggle for riders if it’s in the middle of nowhere, with few homes, jobs, activity centers, or transit connections nearby. Preliminary ridership projections aren’t the be-all end-all, but all things being equal, the station alignment projected to get higher ridership does have a leg up.

3. Design the system to be easy to expand. Ideally, West Seattle Junction will not be the southern terminus long as the line extends south to White Center and Burien. Likewise, Ballard should not be the northern terminus long as the line extends north to Greenwood and perhaps east to Wallingford and the University District. Meanwhile, a future Aurora rail line may link up with the new Downtown light rail tunnel near South Lake Union Station. Planning with expandability in mind could save billions of dollars and numerous headaches down the road.

4. Station locations should unlock transit-oriented development (TOD) opportunities to the highest extent possible. A station isn’t just a transit stop, it can be a catalyst for neighborhood development and housing growth, both market-rate and affordable. Sound Transit has an Equitable Transit-Oriented Development program that has aided in the construction of hundreds of affordable homes on the agency’s surplus properties. Alternatives more favorable to TOD have an edge and they will help the system attract more riders down the road by allowing more people to live in close proximity to light rail.

5. Construction impacts are important but shouldn’t solely determine a 100-year investment. Construction-related road closures weigh heavy on the mind of policymakers, but it is crucial we pick the right station for the future of Seattle and grapple with the construction impacts that entails. Closing a busy road for a few years is a small price to pay to add a light rail line that will last centuries. The priority in mitigating construction impacts should start with prioritizing pedestrian access, transit operations, and bike routes.

6. Cost is an important factor, but we shouldn’t shy away from big investments where there is a high return. Mostly we are worried about building this right, but we can’t dismiss costs, especially since some high-ticket items will require third-party funding, which could be difficult to secure. Controlling costs is also key to avoiding delays to these much-needed transit lines.

B. Detailed Comments

1. West Seattle Link

a. Junction - Medium Tunnel 41st Avenue Station: Prefer Medium Tunnel 41st Avenue Station [WSJ-5], but study a refined Elevated Fauntleroy Station that would reduce residential displacement and costly property takings.

b. Avalon - Retained Cut: Prefer WSJ-5 with a request to study a refined DEL-6 pairing.

c. Delridge - DEL-6: Study of improved DEL-6 options that are compatible with the Medium 41st Avenue Tunnel [WSJ-5].

d. SoDo - Mixed Profile Station: Choose Mixed Profile Station [SoDo-2] and study siting further north at the existing SoDo Station location to avoid costly post office taking.

2. Ballard Link

a. Chinatown-International District - 4th Avenue: Prefer 4th Avenue Shallow Alternative (CID-1a) alignment but please make it shallower. Study making it as shallow as the existing CID station by using a shallow tunnel over the existing Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel to reach Midtown. The transfers must be quicker than 4.5 minutes.

b. Midtown - 5th Avenue: Make the station as shallow as possible, design station for surface to platform elevators, build in ample elevator redundancy, and use modern interfaces to ensure nearly seamless elevator use.

c. Westlake - 5th Avenue: 5th Avenue Station [DT-1]. Update the elevator and escalator plan to improve ease of use and redundancy and find ways to speed up transfers and surface access.

d. Denny - DT-1 on Westlake Avenue: Westlake Avenue Station [DT-1]. Update vertical conveyances and aim shallower.

e. South Lake Union - Harrison or Central SLU: Prefer Harrison Street as the less bad option included, but study a Westlake Avenue or similar alignment centered in South Lake Union as much as possible.

f. Uptown / Seattle Center - Republican Street: Prefer Republican Street Station and work to mitigate impacts to arts organizations to the extent possible.

g. Smith Cove - Galer Street: Preferred Galer Street Station [SIB-1].

h. Interbay - Retained Cut or Slimmed Down 15th Avenue Elevated: Advance and refine Thorndyke Retained Cut [IBB-2a/IBB-2b] and a slimmed down 15th Avenue Elevated Station [IBB-3].

i. Ballard: Study pairing a high bridge with an elevated 15th Avenue Station and to continue to refine all tunnel options to put a station entrance west of 15th Avenue. Open additional study of the 20th Avenue Station/Thorndyke Tunnel Portal alignment.