External Consultant’s Ballard Link Extension Report

The livestream video of the Sound Transit Board April 27^th included an extensive discussion concerning a potential new alternative for routing the Ballard to Sodo extension.  That the Board was told they needed to choose how to proceed in their May 23^rd Board meeting.

The agenda for that meeting includes the following:

6. Report from external consultants

Presentation from the Board’s independent consultant on the Ballard Link Extension.

Apparently. the Board needed “external” advice beyond what they were getting from the $2 million, 2-year contract they’d had with the Transit Advisory Group and a private consultant. It’s not clear whether the outside consultants were asked to recommend one of the two alternative routes or, as a May 3^rd post on this blog had proposed, consider no Ballard to Sodo link as” A Better Ballard Link Option.”

The reason being King County Metro already provides extensive public transit service to the entire area. Rapid Line D on 15^th Ave from Crown Hill through Ballard, Rapid Ride E from Aurora Village on Aurora Ave, and Rapid Ride C from Lake Union along Westlake Ave provide service on the major roues into Seattle. KCM Routes 1, 2, 3 and 4 provide similar service from Freemont, Seattle Pacific College, and Queen Anne Hill. Route schedules for all the bus routes vary from 7-8 min peak, 15-30 off peak, and hourly early morning.  All the buses are currently routed to and from multiple stops along 3^rd Ave for egress and access. 

By comparison access to light rail trains into Seattle for both preferred Ballard Link extensions is limited to new stations in Ballard, Interbay, Smith Clove, Seattle Center, South Lake Union, Denny, to Westlake. The “Preferred Alternatives” differ on where to locate the Denny and South Lake Union stations. Both alternatives have raised objections from those affected by the potential loss of their business and the years of disruption needed to implement the stations on either route. 

Whatever that decision, egress, and access at the new Westlake station will be far less convenient for commuters than the current multiple bus stops on 3^rd Ave for the rides into and out of Seattle.  Those wishing to go beyond bus stops in downtown Seattle will have access to multiple bus routes on 3^rd Ave or nearby to destination.  

The “external consultants” would likely conclude that without light rail from Ballard to Westlake there was no need for the tunnel to Sodo.  That the need for the “tunnel from Sodo” could be negated by modifying the existing CID station to serve as a terminus for both East Link and West Seattle Links. The modified CID would allow commuters to use Line 1 through existing DSTT   and satisfy the Sound Transit Board’s quest for a “once in a lifetime opportunity to create a space for people to transfer from light rail to light rail, to Sounder and Amtrak".  

Terminating East Link and West Seattle Link at CID would allow both to schedule service to meet local demand.  End the Line 1 loss of half the DSTT trains to East Link and the need to share its capacity with West Seattle riders until the second tunnel is completed in 2039.

The bottom line is previous posts have detailed there was no need to spend $12.5B and 10-15 years disrupting Seattle boring a second tunnel.  This post reflects a recognition the existing bus service make both Preferred Alternatives to the tunnel another example of the Board’s "Field of Dreams Approach": If we build it riders will come.  

Sound Transit has asked for an “external consultants” assessment. Await the Board's May 23^rd “livestream” video for whether they concur..