Another Year Added to I-405 Debacle

The previous post detailed how the Seattle Times Traffic Lab has spent another year abetting Sound Transit CEO Rogoff’s plans to spend billions on light rail extensions to replace bus routes into Seattle.  Both fail to recognize reducing the number of bus routes into Seattle will do little to reduce congestion. That it brings the area another year closer to 2021 when Northgate operation will force bus riders to transfer to and from light rail for the commutes into and out of Seattle, reducing transit capacity into Seattle, and reducing access to transit for current University Link riders. 

It’s also another year closer to 2023 when East Link operation will halve transit capacity to SeaTac and current I-90 transit routes will be halved to terminate buses on Mercer Island.  The 2024 completion dates for Lynnwood and Federal Way extensions will not only further reduce access for current riders, they will double the route operating costs. 

This post opines the Traffic Lab has also spent another year abetting the WSDOT and Sound Transit I-405 debacle.  A Dec 25, 2017 Seattle Times article “I-405 express toll lanes between Renton and Bellevue are on their way” included the following:

In 2019, work crews on Interstate 405 will start building a new lane in each direction between Renton and Bellevue, as part of a series of changes that aim to improve traffic flow on what officials call Washington’s worst corridor for congestion.

Yet more than two years later I “experienced” the “worst corridor for congestion” taking 60 minutes on a Jan 6^th 8:30 am commute from the 167 onramp to I-405 to Bellevue.  Apparently neither the Traffic Lab nor the WSDOT still doesn’t recognize implementing HOT on two I-405 lanes will not only increase GP lane congestion, those willing to pay the $10.00 HOT fees won’t achieve the 45 mph during much of the peak commute. 

Implementing HOT on two of five lanes between Bothell and Bellevue has already increased GP lane congestion to where HOT-lane traffic exceeds the 2000 vehicles per hour (vph) required to assure 45 mph during much of peak commute.  That imposing HOT fees on two of only four lanes between Bellevue and Renton will surely exacerbate the problem there as will future growth along the entire route.

They need to recognize the way to increase both HOT and GP lane velocities is to limit HOT to one HOV lane with fees raised to assure 45 mph and use the second lane for GP use.  That the way to reduce the HOT fees needed to assure 45 mph and to reduce GP lane congestion is to increase transit capacity along the HOT lane. 

Traffic Lab needs to recognize Sound Transit plans to increase I-405 transit capacity with one BRT route every 10 minutes beginning in 2024 are far too little and too late.  Sound Transit needs to be “persuaded” to route an additional 100 BRT routes an hour during peak commute along both north and south I-405 HOT lanes. 

The routes would include express connections during peak commute between individual P&R lots along I-5 from north of Lynnwood and south of Southcenter, along 167 from south of Renton, and along I-405 to Bellevue and Overlake T/Cs.   Local bus routes to T/Cs could increase access to BRT with part of the funds coming from Traffic Lab “persuading” Sound Transit to drop plans to spend $300 million on an “In-line 85^th St T/C” near Kirkland with no access. 

The bottom line is there are ways for Traffic Lab to “spotlight promising approaches to easing gridlock”.  It’s another year wasted until they do.