Sound Transit Off-Ramps

The February 27^th Sound Transit Board, Business Items agenda authorized the chief executive “to acquire certain real property interests…..and reimburse eligible relocation and reestablishment expenses incurred by affected owners and tenants as necessary” for West Seattle and Ballard Link extension projects.  The resulting discussion resulted in the board receiving assurance that off-ramps existed to terminate extensions because of cost concerns.  

It seems like a rather belated concern over costs since the board has approved spending $150 billion on the 2016 Prop 1 ST3 voters approved in 2016 for $54 billion. The concern over costs didn’t prevent the board from increasing the West Seattle Link Extension $3,998,950 cost in its 2025 Proposed Budget & Financial Plan to more than $7,100,000. The meeting provided potential cost savings in designing and constructing the bridge, but little to defray the huge increase.

The Board also failed to consider that a Link extension off-ramp should be a recognition that 4-car light rail trains don’t have the capacity needed to attract the number of commuters needed to reduce peak-hour multilane roadway congestion and cost too much to operate off peak.  Another off-ramp should be recognition that using light rail “spine” to replace bus routes reduces transit capacity into the city and doesn’t reduce freeway congestion. Especially light rail extensions to Everett and Tacoma.

The 2024 Starter Line and Lynnwood Link debut ridership should have suggested additional reason for off-ramp; providing access to light rail trains doesn’t assure riders.  Claims that “70,000 residents living within a mile of Starter Line stations will change how Eastsiders think about getting around” were debunked by January ridership reports of 3004 boardings.  Assuming each rider had inbound and return boarding only 1502 riders used Starter Line for their commute.

Sound Transit made a similar claim that 80,000 residents living within a mile of one of the Lynnwood extension stations would attrack 24,000 to 35,000 riders. Yet, in January, only 6259 commuters boarded at one of the extension's 4 stations. Most of those boarders were former bus riders whose routes were terminated at one of the stations.  

The potential lack of new transit riders should be an off-ramp for both the Ballard and West Seattle light rail extensions. Transit riders in areas served by both extensions currently have better access to bus routes into Seattle and more convenient stops in city. Thus, the lack of riders wanting to transfer from bus routes to light rail for the commute from Ballard and Alaska Junction in West Seattle to SODO won’t justify spending $13 billion on a 2^nd tunnel or $7 billion on a 2^nd Duwamish Waterway Bridge. 

That the ten to fifteen years of construction disruption to transportation in both areas should be another “off-ramp”.  That the cost of Sound Transit providing transit with 4-car light rail trains dwarfs that of a KCM bus, especially during off peak operation.  

The bottom line is Sound Transit off ramps should go way beyond just the cost of implementing the light rail extension. The May 10^th debut of the Downtown Redmond Link and next winter’s Line 2 extension through DSTT to Lynnwood will “likely” reaffirm the concern.