Mayor Bruce Harrell signed legislation this week hoped to speed up construction of key light rail extensions to West Seattle and Ballard.
The changes are hoped to streamline paperwork and cut permit review times in half for Sound Transit projects.
Harrell issued an executive order calling for the streamlining earlier this year with six areas of coordination hoped to help cut down on delays:
- Develop comprehensive tree and vegetation management plans
- Integrate stations with nearby streets and public spaces
- Establish the Seattle Design Commission as an advisory review body that accepts public comment
- Ensure accessibility for everyone including adequate bicycle and scooter parking
- Create a more efficient appeal process
- Create plans for construction sequencing, staging, and detours to support the movement of people and goods.
Sound Transit’s current timeline calls for the $11 billion, nearly 8 mile light rail extension to Ballard to open by 2039 with nine new stations, in addition the needed second downtown transit tunnel, and a Salmon Bay crossing.
The West Seattle link will be half as long and is currently planned to be fully delivered by 2032. It is projected to cost around $7 billion.
The changes come as Sound Transit has finally begun testing to connect the region’s light rail system across the lake via I-90. That extension and the Central District’s new Judkins Park Station has been pushed back to a 2026 opening.
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We need it so bad to West Seattle. So isolated from the city yet 120k people over there (more to be expected after new density efforts)
Faster to deploy and more environmentally responsible to add more bus service. Light-rail was a mistake, at this point in time it should be easy for the most ardent supporters to acknowledge, sadly.
Seattle’s Light-rail are ableist tech toys; busses offer a more equitable outcome, can be quickly deployed, and have a significantly lower environmental cost.
This $1.5 billion per mile, the $8 billion to fix Columbia Way, etc? The money could be put to better use that would result in outcomes on a much shorter horizon.
Seattle’s Light-rail is slow, unreliable, and the stations are too deep.
Busses are the answer, not these techno-nerd toys.
or we allow enough housing to justify rail?
How about :
I imagine the appetite for the proposal might be reduced.
Maybe by then they’ll have the floating bridge connected
Not a fan of the proposed station locations. They are so close together! I know there is a huge elevation gain between Delridge and Avalon, but the Avalon to the Junction gap is just a few blocks. Kill the Avalon station and save some $ or add an additional station further south along California.
All that said, work should start ASAP!
Avalon probably will get dropped. But they should be extending further down the Junction as California is dense and C line gets insane ridership
My guess is West Seattle Golf Course will be sold at some point of time in the future to be developed into density housing.
They also added a station next to Jackson Park course… rightfully so IMHO.