Sound Transit’s East Side Debacle Continues

Sound Transit’s Eastside 2020 Progress Report “Expanding your transit choices” exemplifies a decade of failure to deal with east side congestion.  Anyone with a modicum of competence would’ve never diverted half the capacity of light rail routed through the DSTT across the I-90 Bridge.  That doing so limited both Central Link south capacity and East Link cross-lake capacity to a fraction of what’s needed to meet future growth. 

Anyone with a modicum of competence would have also recognized Sound Transits confiscation of the I-90 Bridge center roadway precluded 2-way BRT with 10 times light rail capacity, 10 years sooner, at 1/10^th the cost. Rather than adding transit capacity, Sound Transit has spent a decade of refusing to add east side parking and cross-lake bus routes.

A competent Sound Transit would have also recognized that confiscation of the I-90 Bridge center roadway would increase congestion on the bridge outer roadways despite the addition of the 4^th lanes.   The increased I-90 travel times already reflect that congestion.

Instead their 2020 Progress Report, pages 2-6, heralded “Milestones we’re meeting to bring new transit to the Eastside”.   The page 3 claim “Downtown Bellevue to a Huskies game in 31 minutes// opens 2023“ may benefit those going to a Saturday football game. 

However, when most east side residents commute, the billions Sound Transit has spent for East Link will result in light rail being used to replace current bus routes rather than add cross-lake transit capacity. Again anyone with a modicum of competence would’ve recognized I-90 Bridge congestion was not due to too many buses. 

The most egregious example of Sound Transit incompetence is on the Progress Report's page 10,  “Transit benefits everyone”.  While obviously true, the claim, “Trains can move more people in less space” shows they don't understand either light rail limits or bus transit options.  The claim each 74-seat car can accommodate 200 riders is “optimistic” while high capacity buses can accommodate more than 80 people.

The Progress Report claim  “link trains arrive every 4-6 minutes”  reflects the need for a minimum of 4 minutes between trains in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (DSTT) light rail stations. Sound Transit "neglects to mention" East Link is limited to half those trains or one every 8-12 minutes. 

As stated earlier, "moving more people in less space” claim is belied by the fact light rail “space” on the I-90 Bridge center roadway could have accommodated bus routes with ten times East Link capacity. (at 1/10th the cost 10 years sooner) Even more important, East Link capacity will always be limited while bus routes can be added to meet future growth.

Sound Transit exacerbates the lack of East Link capacity problem with their ”bus intercept” agreement with Mercer Island.   They and King County Metro have agreed to halve I-90 corridor bus routes in order to terminate them on Mercer Island.   The loss of I-90 bus routes when East Link begins operation will result in thousands of current and future commuters unable to use transit, adding to congestion along the entire I-90 corridor.    

Sound Transit’s East Link construction has already increased I-90 Bridge congestion and devastated the route into Bellevue.  Its operation in 2023 will demonstrate the billions spent will increase congestion along the entire I-90 corridor.  The fact East Link operation also halves Central Link capacity to SeaTac simply adds to the debacle.

Sound Transit’s “Building faster bus connection” on I-405 is equally inept.  They claim “Lynnwood to Bellevue in 33 minutes//Starts 2024” with “Stride bus rapid transit service” consisting of one BRT bus “as often as every ten minutes”.  Rather than increasing transit capacity by adding parking with access to 10 times that number of bus routes Sound Transit is spending $300 million on an 85^th St T/C near Kirkland with no parking.

Sound Transit’s page 9 claim “Transit gives you choices” with new “bus rapid transit (BRT) providing fast, reliable and traffic-free transportation choices”.  Yet Sound Transit’s 2019 budget projects the 20 million annual bus riders in 2020 will drop to around 12 million in 2025 with no increase through 2041. 

A competent Sound Transit would've recognized effective BRT also requires WSDOT limiting I-405 HOT to one HOV lane with fees raised to assure 45 mph.  The “2020 look-ahead” should include that requirement for Renton-to-Bellevue.

Sound Transit’s page 10 claims “Transit benefits everyone”.  The reality is East Link operation in 2023 will increase congestion along the entire I-90 corridor.  That Sound Transit’s version of BRT in 2024 will do absolutely nothing to reduce I-405 congestion.

Sound Transit’s 2020 Progress Report continues that debacle.