About this blog

My name is Bill Hirt and I'm a candidate to be a Representative from the 48th district in the Washington State legislature. My candidacy stems from concern the legislature is not properly overseeing the WSDOT and Sound Transit East Link light rail program. I believe East Link will be a disaster for the entire eastside. ST will spend 5-6 billion on a transportation project that will increase, not decrease cross-lake congestion, violates federal environmental laws, devastates a beautiful part of residential Bellevue, creates havoc in Bellevue's central business district, and does absolutely nothing to alleviate congestion on 1-90 and 405. The only winners with East Link are the Associated Builders and Contractors of Western Washington and their labor unions.

This blog is an attempt to get more public awareness of these concerns. Many of the articles are from 3 years of failed efforts to persuade the Bellevue City Council, King County Council, east side legislators, media, and other organizations to stop this debacle. I have no illusions about being elected. My hope is voters from throughout the east side will read of my candidacy and visit this Web site. If they don't find them persuasive I know at least I tried.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Sound Transit Cost Savings Charade


One of the more absurd Sound Transit activities is their highly publicized “attempt” to come up with savings that supposedly will reduce Bellevue City costs.  Sound Transit gets about 40% of their funds from taxes generated on the east side.  Only a small portion of that money has been spent on eastside improvements as supposedly mandated.  Instead they’ve used the funds to pay for Central Link, the most expensive light rail system in history.  They’re continuing to use our taxes to fund their University Link and a streetcar system in Seattle.

Any rationale distribution of eastside taxes would have provided more than enough to pay for whichever route Bellevue wanted approaching downtown as well as how and where the tunnel underneath the city business district should be built.  Instead we have the spectacle of Sound Transit selecting the route and demanding that Bellevue come up with additional funds to pay for any deviations from their choice such as the tunnel. 

What is equally absurd is the apparent willingness of the Bellevue City Council to go along with this charade.   Sound Transit’s 2008 DEIS lists 9 permits or approvals they need from the BCC.  Sound Transits planned route devastates a part of the Mercer Slough Park, a violation of federal environmental law (United States code Sec 138).   The council surely has no legal requirement to grant these permits or accede to ST’s extortion, particularly in view of their recent budget problems that have forced them to delay needed projects for years.

Unfortunately their willingness to go along with this charade pales in comparison to their failure to use their permitting process to stop East Link altogether. 

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