Friday’s (2/22)
Bellevue Reporter light rail article suggesting “nothing can be done” about the
devastation to those living along the route into Bellevue is simply wrong. In particular the East Link deputy
project director’s claim, like many Sound Transits pronouncements, that East
Link Transit meets federal standards is at least misleading if not wrong.
Federal
environmental law used to require any transportation project would only be
allowed to encroach on parks if there was no “feasible and prudent
alternative”. That regulation
would have prohibited East Link since a BRT alternative across I-90 and through
Bellevue was clearly “feasible and prudent”.
In August 2005 that
regulation was changed to the following:
When the DOT
determines that there is a transportation use of a Section 4(f) property, (i.e.
parks, recreation areas, historic sites and waterfowl and wildlife refuges) if
the impact is de minimis after avoidance, minimization and mitigation, then an
analysis of avoidance alternatives is not required.
Thus in order for
East Link to meet federal standards, its impact must be de
minimis. The recent horror stories for those
living along the Central Link in Seattle suggest East Link’s impact will hardly
be called “de minimis”. The following excepts
from a BBB email describe light rails impact;
Some of these homes are
even "protected" by an existing layer of homes, and still incur
massive noise and vibration.
A home 300' + back from
the train line, with two layers of homes between it and the train line, which
still has to be mitigated with complete exterior and interior walls
replacement, and with new double and triple pane windows.
Those residents have only been
exposed to noise and vibration from two-car trains. East Links plans for 4-car trains would substantially
increase the area and the magnitude of the noise and vibration.
No one can
rationally argue that a transportation project that devastates lives of
hundreds of residents living within 300 or more feet of the light rail tracks
could be classified as “de minimis”. The
Bellevue City Council should recognize that reality and use the permitting
process to stop the East Link debacle.
If they refuse this retired engineer believes further legal actions will
surely succeed.
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