Dear Federal Highway Administration

(The below post, an email to the FHWA, was prompted by an April 10^th Seattle Times Traffic Lab Article suggesting recent federal approval of bus line funding improved chances for Lynnwood extension funding. Hopefully they will demonstrate more competence than Sound Transit and Traffic Lab and reject the funding.  While doing so may not stop the extension it should be a wakeup call to supporters to end this stupidity.)

Dear Federal Highway Administration

The April 10^th Seattle Times B1 page Traffic Lab article “Federal funding OK’d for bus line” suggests “Approval may be good news for other projects—like Lynnwood Link”. I urge you to reject Sound Transit’s application for $1.2 billion in FHWA money for the Lynnwood Link. Even with the federal grant local tax payers will still be required to pay close to $2B of the $3.1B for an extension that will do absolutely nothing to increase transit capacity into Seattle. 

Sound Transit refuses to recognize routing Central Link through the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (DSTT) severely limits its capacity. A 2004 PSRC Technical Workbook,  “Central Puget Sound Region High Capacity Transit Corridor Assessment” concluded the DSTT station lengths limit trains to four cars and that safe operation requires a minimum of 4 minutes between trains, or 60 light rail cars per hour.  The PSRC Technical Workbook also concluded the capacity of the 74-seat light rail cars was limited to 148 riders for a total capacity through the tunnel into Seattle of 8880 riders per hour (rph). 

Light rail routed through the DSTT doesn’t have the capacity to justify Lynnwood extension.  Sound Transit’s 2017 4^th Quarter weekday average boardings at UW and Capitol Hill totaled 17,487 commuters into Seattle to Westlake or University Stations in DSTT.  They plan to spend $2.1B on a Northgate light rail extension they’ve claimed would attract 15,000 daily riders.   Assuming half of the 15,000 Northgate Extension riders were also commuting into Seattle gives a total of nearly 25,000 every morning.  Accommodating their projected ridership into the DSTT with the Northgate Link and PSRC 8880 rph capacity will take nearly three hours.  

Sound Transit intends to use the federal funding as part of the $3.1 billion they plan to spend on a light rail extension beyond Northgate to Lynnwood that does nothing to increase the DSTT capacity.  Yet they justify the extension claiming it will add 68,500 daily riders, presumably adding 34,250 commuters into Seattle every morning.  Accommodating their projected Lynnwood extension ridership into the DSTT with the PSRC 8880 rph capacity will take nearly four hours, essentially ending access for other commuters into Seattle.  Even more absurd Sound Transit justified ST3 plans to spend billions more extending light rail to Everett with claims for an additional 37,000 riders.  Again assuming half do so every morning adds two hours of full trains before reaching Northgate. 

Clearly Sound Transit plans to spend $3.1 billion extending light rail to Lynnwood will reduce access to current Central Link riders as well as those added by the Northgate extension.  While FHWA rejection of Sound Transit’s application may not be “sufficient” to prevent them proceeding, approval will surely lead to their implementing not only the Lynnwood extension but also the extension to Everett. 

The entire area will pay a heavy price as a result.   Not only will it be burdened with the cost of paying for extensions that end access for many current and future riders, the operating costs for the longer routes will either require a huge increase in tolls for those able to ride or a financial “black hole” for the area's future transportation funds from the fare box revenue shortfall. 

Again, I urge you to reject Sound Transit’s application for Lynnwood extension.

Respectfully,

Bill Hirt

2615 170^th Ave SE

Bellevue, WA 98008