More Reasons for JTC ST Audit

The previous post urged the Washington legislature’s Joint Transportation Committee (JTC) require an audit of Sound Transit Board plans for reducing I-5 and I-90 congestion into and out of Seattle.  This post details why anyone with a modicum of transit system competence who viewed the video of the Boards System Expansion Committee’s January 12th meeting would recognize they need an outside audit.

The meeting video included several Lake Forest Park residents raising concerns with Sound Transit’s plans for a bus access to transit (BAT) lane for the 1.2-mile portion of SR522 Stride S3 Line through their residential area..   They thought the approximate 2 minute transit time reduction didn’t justify spending more than $200M (a 2021 estimate) that will change forever the Lake Forest Park persona.   

 

Sound Transit Staff later presented a chart showing the Stride S3 Line would reduce PM peak Shoreline to Bothell from 54 minutes to 39 minutes in 2042.  Other charts showed the plan  included removing more than 400 trees and confiscating portions of more than 20 private properties.  They estimated the Lake Forest Park BAT segment would save an average of 2.3 minutes on the Shoreline to Bothell PM peak weekday compute.  The System Expansion Committee unanimously approved Sound Transit proceeding.  

 

An outside auditor would “likely” conclude that the costs of adding the Lake Forest Park BAT far exceeds the “benefits” of not adding 2.3  minutes to 39 minute transit travel time from Shoreline or the far longer total travel time from Seattle. Especially since the time savings would be less in 2027 when the Stride S3 Line began.

Others expressed concern over the way Sound Transit was proceeding with plans for a tunnel under Seattle and a light rail station in Chinatown. They asked for additional time and to consider other options. The expansion committee didn't respond. An outside auditor would likely suggest the "option" of terminating the Ballard Link at Westlake and avoid the cost of a second tunnel and the need for light rail station at Chinatown.

The video included the expansion committee approving Motions No M2023-03 requiring Bellevue to share in a firefight access door in the Bellevue downtown tunnel and M2023-04 requiring Bellevue, Mercer Island, and Redmond to pay for emergency responder training needed for the startup of the East Link and Downtown Redmond Link Extensions.  An outside audit would likely ask why the 3-block long Bellevue Tunnel needs a fire access door since the 4-mile Northgate Tunnel doesn’t.  Also, why there’s been no mention of Seattle being asked to fund emergency responder training.

 

The video also exposed Sound Transit’s latest response to the need to delay East Link to redo light rail track attachments. That without access to Operation Maintenance Facility (OMF) East Sound Transit needed to limit Lynnwood Link trains to 8-minute headways.   That when East Link begins operation the Lynnwood Link would have 4-minute headways during peak operation, but both Link 1 Line and Link 2 Line will both have 8-minute headways. 

 An audit would "likely" conclude 4-car light rail trains every 8 minutes on either Line won't have the capacity needed to reduce multilane freeway capacity into Seattle.  Especially since they intend to use both Lines to replace bus routes.  That Sound Transit should use the East Link delay to enable terminating the route at the Chinatown Station that would allow both Link Line 1 and East Link to have 4-minute headways.

Instead the video showed the System Expansion Committee approving spending up to $6M to maintain the option to use the delay to spend up to $6 million  to implement a Starter Line between Redmond Technology Center and South Bellevue Park and Ride.  The final decision to authorize opening passenger service on East Link Starter Line was anticipated in October 2023.  That revenue service would start in Q2/2024 .

 

Again, none of the committee members asked questions as to how many riders they expected with the Starter Line.  An auditor would note  that those commuting from Redmond to Bellevue had better access with existing Rapid Ride Route.   That ST550 in Bellevue  had better access than Starter Line and avoided the need to transfer at South Bellevue P&R.  Also that very few commuters returning from Seattle will choose to transfer to Starter Line for the route into Bellevue.

The bottom line is Sound Transit has managed to avoid disclosing Northgate Link ridership was a fraction of the 42,000-49000 riders projected. However, when East Link debuts the problems will be so obvious that no Sound Transit "disclosure" will be needed. Thus, the debut delay from June 2023 to 2025 summer allows Sound Transit to spend additional billions on fatally flawed "voter approved" extensions. 

The Legislatures JTC should require a Sound Transit audit that could result in  expediting the West Seattle and Ballard extensions, debunk the need for a BAT lane in Lake Forest Park,  a second tunnel under Seattle, and the need for a Chinatown Station.  That Sound Transit should  terminate East Link at Chinatown, stop the folly of the East Link Starter Line,  and more to mitigate Sound Transits Expansion Committee incompetence.

The JTC constituents and the entire Sound Transit service area surely deserve it.