It is a snowy, messy day in Downtown Seattle as Jennifer Huber starts her afternoon commute home.
But instead of fighting the traffic, slush and ice, Huber simply walks down to the Westlake Station adjacent to Nordstrom's flagship store and boards the Link light-rail train for the 15-minute ride to her Beacon Hill neighborhood.
"It is a very convenient alternative to driving, especially in weather like today," Huber said, referring to the remains of the pre-Thanksgiving snowstorm. "I can catch up on e-mails and work on my iPhone while I'm on the train."
Huber is one of the more than 22,000 area commuters who use the Link light-rail system each day. After about a year in service, the 13-station system, which cost about $2.7 billion to complete, is becoming an accepted alternative to the commuting grind.
However, despite its successes, the system has still fallen short of ridership expectations, and some communities along its route continue to wait for the economic bounce proponents had promised.
Ridership falls a little short
The light-rail system - which runs from the Westlake Center station in the north through Downtown Seattle, along the Rainier Valley and then turns west to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport - was projected to reach weekday ridership of 26,600 in its first year. It has fallen short of that figure, with weekday ridership varying from about 16,000 a day last January to a high of about 24,000 a day in July.
Sound Transit spokesperson Bruce Gray said that the low ridership is being blamed on the recession and slow recovery.
"We've seen ridership drop across the board on all of our services," Gray said, referring to all seven transit systems, including Metro buses. "There just aren't as many people going to work."
But while the daily commute numbers have been somewhat down, the airport traffic has actually outpaced expectations. Currently, about 4,000 people each day get on or off the light-rail system at the airport. That figure is about five to six years ahead of schedule. In fact, the airport stop is tied with Westlake as the system's most popular stations.
Waiting for the economic boon
While ridership numbers are looking better, business leaders along Rainier Valley are still waiting for their bounce. They contend the system has yet to spur much in the way of financial activity.
Julie Pham, chair of the Martin Luther King Business Association, said it is a little too early to tell yet what will be the long-term economic impact of the light-rail line, but her members haven't seen an increase in business yet.
Instead, the Rainier Valley stops - such as Columbia City, Othello and Rainier Beach - are just being skipped over by commuters on their way to the airport or downtown.
Parking in the area has also been a problem, with commuters parking their cars all day in areas outside restricted zones that exist around the light-rail stations. This has made it difficult for some businesses in those outlying neighborhoods to find parking.
"I don't want to say it's never going to happen," Pham said of increased shopping along Martin Luther King Jr. Way South. "There is still potential. But there needs to be more advertising and marketing of this area and how special a place it is."
Pham said she wants Sound Transit to help market the unique aspects of the Rainier Valley communities, such as the immigrant populations, the exclusive stores and special restaurants that give the area its special culture and atmosphere.
She gives the City of Seattle high marks for being helpful and concerned. She also said that advertising is now beginning to appear on the light-rail system.
Another area that she wants Sound Transit and Seattle to help with is changing the attitude that the Rainier Valley has a high crime rate. That long-standing image of the neighborhoods as unsafe is also hurting business, she said.
Seattle does have organizations in place to help, including the $50-million Rainier Valley Community Development Fund that began operation in 2005. It is aimed at helping businesses mitigate the disruption costs incurred during light rail's construction phase. It is also helping to develop the area.
So far, the fund has lent nearly $11 million to area business and real estate developers. The fund is also helping to market the Rainier Valley.
Gray acknowledges that advertising on the light-rail system has not been as robust as originally expected. The reason, again, he said, has been the slow economy, he said, but the advertising has begun to pick up somewhat at certain stations, including Columbia City.
Gray also said that the crime rate around the stations and on the trains has been quite low, with only a few recorded incidents of commuters having their phones or computers stolen.
More expansion coming
As Sound Transit continues to iron out kinks in the light-rail program, the system continues to expand.
In 2015, Sound Transit will complete the expansion of the light-rail line south two miles from the airport to South 200th Street.
The tunnel between the University District and Capitol Hill is also already under construction.
The light-rail line from Westlake Center in Downtown Seattle through Capitol Hill and onto the University of Washington is expected to open in 2016.
Probably the biggest snag right now for Sound Transit is extending light rail across to Bellevue. Officials will finalize the route for this line in 2011; they are currently in the final stages of developing an Environmental Impact Statement that will help determine the best location for the rail lines.
Initial plans call for the center lanes of the Interstate 90 bridge to be used for the light-rail route.
Construction of this light-rail line would begin in 2015 and be completed in about 2021.
However, a group of powerful business interests, led by Bellevue developer Kemper Freeman, are suing Sound Transit in an attempt to block the construction of the light-rail line on the Interstate 90 bridge. The group maintains it is an unconstitutional use of the gas-tax revenue.
The case is currently before the Washington State Supreme Court. It is unclear when a decision will be handed down.[[In-content Ad]]
