The walls were lined with illustrations set upon easels. A large and interested crowd ambled between them. A small refreshment table was located near the entrance.
But the event was not a gallery opening. Last Wednesday, in a Seattle Central Community College classroom, Sound Transit held another open house. The occasion this time was to present general views of the light-rail stations that are to be placed on First Hill and on Broadway. While only a rough plan was shown - detailed architectural designs are to come in the future - being able to see something tangible if not actually physical regarding Capitol Hill and the North Link line, which is to run from Downtown to Northgate, felt like a giant leap forward.
Let's not get too carried away. Sound Transit still has a long way to go.
"These are challenging times," said current King County Councilmember and upcoming Seattle City Council candidate Dwight Pelz, who is on the Sound Transit board. Pelz shared a few remarks before a Power Point presentation. "But these are exciting times as well."
Work underway
Sound Transit operates a little less in the ether these days. While the Broadway and First Hill stations are largely talking points, physical work is actually underway on the initial light rail segment, which will run south, from Downtown to the airport. Property has been acquired. Holes are being dug. Also, the Downtown bus tunnel will close for 20 months starting in September so that it can be converted to bus and rail operations. The result is that, unlike several years ago, the agency's finances are not the only subject on the table.
According to Sound Transit projections 118,000 daily riders will use North Link by the year 2030. Pelz contrasted that with the roughly 120,000 vehicles that use SR-520 daily.
Roughly 11,000 riders are expected to use the First Hill station daily. For the Broadway station, that number climbs to 12,000 riders. The ride Downtown from Broadway, we were told, is expected to take six minutes, contrasted with the 14 minutes it typically takes on buses today.
A few details
The First Hill station will be located on the north side of Madison Street between Minor and Bolyston avenues. It will be deep - 210 feet down. Riders will take high-speed elevators to and from the platform.
The Broadway station will have entrances on the east side of Broadway at East John Street and East Denny Way, with a possible third entrance on the west side of Broadway near Seattle Central Community College. The station will be built 90 feet below ground, which means that escalators will be used for access to and from the platforms.
And there will be impacts. At times construction will take place for 20 hours a day, seven days a week. On Broadway, the block from East Denny Way to East John Street, from Broadway to 10th Avenue East, will be leveled to facilitate construction. No minor impacts these (although a substantial redevelopment opportunity exists once the construction is complete).
The First Hill impacts are less substantial because the station will be mined. However, noise concerns are more pressing given that neighborhood's high residential density. And the station entrance structures will be 45 feet tall, a height largely determined by the mechanical needs of the high-speed elevators.
While it's not true that the presentation glossed over the next bit, at the same time it wasn't exactly presented in bright neon with a thumping soundtrack. But the prospect exists that the Sound Transit board will choose to build out the North Link line in stages. This means that the Broadway station could serve as a temporary end point for the line until Sound Transit could afford to build north.
If this scenario were to play out there would be far greater impacts than those imagined if the line is built out at the same time. Specifically, another block is needed, north of East John Street, to build crossover tracks. Loosely translated, this is what I'd call "a large impact."
Timing
As with everything pertaining to light rail on Capitol Hill, time is not exactly of the essence. Engineering work is underway to define the project so that a cost estimate is possible. But a draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement will be published this spring and a 45-day comment period will follow. The Sound Transit board could choose to make its decision to adopt the North Link project as early as this summer.
Clearly it's good to get straightforward information - Sound Transit is better at this than they were four years ago - but if you're expecting to start taking a train from Broadway to the airport anytime soon you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Assuming the projected schedule remains, (ahem) on track, light rail construction would begin in 2008. The trains are scheduled to reach Broadway sometime between 2014 and 2016.
That said, the slow march to light rail coming to Capitol Hill appears to be inching forward.
Doug Schwartz is the editor of the Capitol Hill Times. He can be reached at editor@capitolhilltimes.com or 461-1308.
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