The
10/29/13 post commented on the lack of “progress” reports concerning
WSDOT/Sound Transit tests confirming 4-car light rail train operation would be
allowed on I-90 Bridge. (East Link
is the first light rail installation on a floating bridge.) This post raises similar concerns about
the lack of information concerning ST plans for the Bel Red area.
The
Sound Transit staff has conducted several open houses dealing with the status
of the Bel Red light rail stations at 120th and 130th. Their notification for “sharing design
plans” for the Overlake Village and Overlake Transit Center stations later this
month includes the following:
The Overlake segment open house gives future light rail
riders, transit center users and community members the chance to look at design
concepts and provide feedback on the Overlake light rail segment and stations.
Sound
Transit appears to be well along with their plans for the Bel Red light rail stations and willing to
share those with the public. They’re far less open with details
of critical issues to light rail installation and operation there. For example, what is the status of
their plans for the maintenance facility that the Bellevue City Council and
Bellevue Reporter initially opposed? ST has apparently “persuaded” the Bellevue City
Council (no surprise) to accept the facility there, but what are their plans
for “visual screening and noise mitigation” of a potential “eye sore” in the
midst of the development?
The
more difficult issue is what are ST plans for dealing with the noise from light
rail trains trundling through the area every 4-10 minutes for 20 hours each
day. A March 2013 document “East
Link Extension, 2013 SEPA Addendum” reflects their need to expand on the June
2011 Final Environmental Impact Statement concerning their approach to light
rail noise along the route into Bellevue and through the city center.
The
addendum details how property acquisition will displace large numbers of
businesses and homes and that mitigation will be required to avoid excessive
noise for 400 noise “receptors”.
The mitigation will involve “trenching” part of the route and installing
“noise walls” up to 18 feet above retaining walls along the remainder. In some instances they will
consider “insulating” houses along the route “allowing” them to shorten noise
walls.
In any
case its clear ST considers light rail noise a serious issue.
The noise
envelope for the elevated tracks along major sections in the Bel Red area would
seem to be a far more serious concern than for at-grade tracks along the route
into Bellevue. Central Link
experience has also shown relatively small radius turns along the elevated Bel
Red route can be particularly “noisy”. One would think ST would consider plans
for noise mitigation to be at least as important as the final details for
station design. However, the SEPA addendum makes no mention of any plans for
mitigation and there has been no indication of any upcoming public
presentations on the issue. It’s
just the latest example of ST’s misplaced priorities.
What’s
absurd is noise mitigation wouldn’t even be an issue if ST had ever considered
a “South Lake Union” type of streetcar system for Bel Red. It would have been far less
noisy, more accessible, less costly, and more esthetically appealing than any
light rail system (see 7/26/12 post). Of course all of the noise walls and trench on the
route into Bellevue would not have been needed with BRT. Sooner or later everyone is going
to recognize that not only East Link, but the entire Prop 1 light rail
extensions are an “unmitigated” disaster.
This blog is my attempt to make it “sooner”.
Wha
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