Sound Transit Feedback Needed
Dear Magnolia Neighbors,
ADD THIS TO YOUR TO DO LIST BY DECEMBER 23!
Sound Transit recently presented modifications to the Interbay-Ballard segment for consideration and comment. Unsurprisingly, there are both benefits and trade-offs. We are not the only neighborhood to think about how construction and traffic impacts balance with the benefits of light rail access.
Responding to feedback about steep slope/greenbelt issues, an elevated eyesore guideway snaking across Elliott Ave W, site conflicts with Seattle Storm facility and potential City Light substation, ST3 is considering some modifications to the Draft Environmental Impact statement that impact the Interbay-Ballard segment. The good news is that a tunnel under The Ship Canal seems like a certainty!
Here's what's being proposed for the Interbay segment. The survey that you can access by clicking here will walk you through their considerations, and make submitting comments easy. Please note that because of timing, Magnolia Community Council has not taken a position on these modifications; we are presenting general information about benefits and trade-offs.
Concept A: Modified SIB-1. This alternative's elevate guideway crosses Elliott Ave W three times before leading to an elevated Smith Cove Station south of the Magnolia Bridge. Modification includes moving Dravus Station a block south to avoid Seattle Storm practice facility and future City Light substation. Trade-off is that Interbay Playfield stadium will have to be relocated.
Concept B: Modified SIB-3. This alternative's elevate guideway crosses Elliott Ave W only once before leading to an elevated Smith Cove Station north of the Magnolia Bridge, at what is now the Armory site. Modification includes moving Dravus Station a block south to avoid Seattle Storm practice facility and future City Light substation. Access to the Smith Cove Station presents challenges, and Interbay Playfield stadium will have to be relocated.
Concept C: Consolidated Station. This concept offers the advantage of tunneling all the way from Downtown to Ballard, and probably involves less disruption to daily life during construction. It also eliminates one station in the Interbay-Ballard segment, which is the one closest to Magnolia, at Dravus. The proposed station location in Concept C is just south of Whole Foods, on the west side of 15th W.
Please take a few minutes and share your thoughts about how these modifications might impact you and your community during construction and after. It's anonymous, easy, and won't take a lot of time.
