As the title “Stopeastlinknow” suggests, this blog
began as an effort to use the Internet to expose problems with Sound Transit’s
East Link. It followed more than
three years of failed attempts to persuade the Bellevue City Council to
disallow permits needed for construction.
That Sound Transit’s failure to consider two-way BRT for transit on I-90
Bridge center roadway was a major blunder. (I later learned it also violated RCW regarding High
Capacity Transit planning.) That their DEIS claims for East Link capacity were
sheer fantasy.
My current campaign for King County Executive is the
sixth attempt to use the Voters’ Pamphlet to attract “page views” (More than
95,000 so far). What began as
opposition to East Link evolved into recognition Sound Transit’s other Prop 1
extensions along I-5 were also fatally flawed due to capacity limitations
imposed by the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (DSTT).
Sound Transit’s ST3 “Prop 1 and beyond” extensions
spend billions more but do nothing to increase transit capacity. That, as a result, the Sound Transit
ST3 light rail spine along I-5 will do nothing to reduce congestion and its
confiscation of the I-90 Bridge center roadway will inevitably lead to gridlock
on the bridge outer roadways.
Unfortunately the blog has so far failed to generate
sufficient opposition. Thus, its “likely”
Sound Transit, in connivance with the WSDOT, and Seattle Times “aiding and
abetting,” will continue with their current plans. It can, however, continue to warn residents what’s “likely
to happen”. This post deals
with what’s likely to happen with East Link.
Sound Transit’s closure of the South Bellevue and
Overlake P&Rs has already ended access to transit for many. The current
disruptions along the route into Bellevue will only increase with future
construction. Their confiscation
of the I-90 Bridge center roadway will inevitably lead to outer roadway
gridlock, “justifying” 2007 WSDOT plans for HOT on the 4th lanes
added for HOV. The current
I-90 corridor congestion from Issaquah will only increase with future growth
during East Link construction.
After enduring all that disruption and congestion, those
relying on East Link to ease
cross-lake congestion will be “disappointed” when it begins operation. What Sound Transit’s 2008 DEIS claimed was the equivalent of
up to 10 lanes of freeway, will be limited to one 4-car train every 8
minutes. Sound Transit plans
to use East Link to replace cross-lake buses to reduce bridge congestion.
They’ve claimed 40,000 of the 50,000 riders by 2030
would come from terminated bus routes. However, even if the trains are empty when they arrive at the
South Bellevue and Mercer Island transfer stations, their limited capacity can
only accommodate riders from about 50 buses an hour during peak commute, about
half current bus schedule routes.
Thus any HOV lane benefits from fewer buses due to
East Link will be miniscule.
The more likely result will be those on routes forced to transfer will
choose to drive rather than ride to avoid the hassle of transferring to and
from crowded light rail trains: increasing GP lane congestion.
The vast majority of I-90 corridor commuters won’t
have access to East Link, forcing them to choose between high HOT fees on HOV
lanes or gridlock on GP lanes. Sooner or later they will question the "efficacy" of using the I-90 Bridge center roadway for a transit system consisting of one
4-car train every 8 minutes. From there it’s only a small step to
demand Sound Transit tear out the tracks and initiate two way bus service. Especially since the only other option is
another very costIy I-90 bridge.
That by 2030, rather than having 50,000 cross-lake riders there will be
no “link” to East Link. It would be up to Sound Transit as to whether to operate
East Link without it.
South Seattle commuters would also cheer this result
since it would at least double Central Link capacity. Eliminating the need to integrate East Link operation with
its far shorter routes and fewer stations than Central Link would allow even
more frequent service.
It’s beyond “unfortunate” Sound Transit didn’t
recognize this eventuality earlier.
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