The April 3rd Traffic Lab article “State shifts plan on Ship Canal Bridge project” details plans to use the results for 20% of the bridge to make a more accurate estimate for repairing the rest. That “in the end we will have a safe, reliable bridge years to come”.
Apparently willing to accept the July 25th four-week closure and “Many of the quarter-million-daily car trips on I-5 cancelled, detoured or delayed during summer work”. Southbound I-5 express lanes closed and complete I-5 closure from I-90 to University District during July 26-27 and August 23-24 weekends. That “fixing 900 feet this year avoids depleting near-term budgets”.
Yet very few details about how they intend to accommodate all those car trips with 2 northbound I-5 GP lanes and southbound I-5 express lanes closed for demonstration. Forcing southbound I-5 express lane vehicles to use GP lanes could double travel times for the 15-mile Lynnwood-to- Seattle morning commute.
Sound Transit’s light rail route from Lynnwood to Westlake will provide part of the capacity needed. This year’s closure precedes any transit capacity benefits from routing Line 2 light rail trains from Bellevue to Lynnwood. Sound Transit’s decision to use light rail trains to replace bus routes minimizes any potential light rail benefits.
The bottom line is the biggest benefit of the July 25 closure is it demonstrates the lack of light rail train ridership along spine requires a need to dramatically increase bus capacity into Seattle. Sound Transit, King County Metro, and Snohomish Community Transit need to add ST500 routes, RapidRide E routes and CT 400 bus routes along the entire corridor into Seattle.
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