There are still many unknowns about what mass transit will look like when it’s extended to Lynnwood. However, Sound Transit has narrowed down the options for the North Corridor Transit Project:
- The “Best Bus” alternative (new and improved bus routes, more frequent service, expanded park-and-ride lots and signal priority)
- I-5 elevated and mixed profile (surface, tunnel, elevated) light rail
- SR 99 elevated and mixed profile light rail
- I-5 Bus Rapid Transit (direct access ramps, expanded park-and-ride lots and HOV lanes)
- Multi-route Bus Rapid Transit: I-5, SR 99 and 15th Avenue NE (would use the existing Swift bus stops)
Sound Transit held three workshops earlier this year, including one in Lynnwood, in which they received dozens of citizen comments. Matt Shelden, Light Rail Development Manager, said there were several ideas for stations.
“We had picked some representative locations, but there are other possibilities. There’s interest in more stations than what we’ve been thinking in ST2. We’ll have to see how this plays out,” he said.
The current proposal is for a station at the Lynnwood Transit Center, but some city officials say that’s too far from the City Center core across 44th Avenue West.
Shelden was asked about using the Interurban Corridor but he conceded that it’s a major power transmission right-of-way for Seattle City Light and Snohomish PUD. “There’s also a trail issue there. It’s too early to say if any of the Interurban Corridor is usable,” he said.
The next step is to forecast ridership for each of the remaining options, as well as cost estimates and environmental risks. Depending on the outcome, some of the alternatives may be dropped by next spring. The results will be shared with the public during the EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) scoping that is expected next spring and summer. Then the Sound Transit Board of Directors will select the alternatives to advance to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
Construction won’t begin until 2018 at the earliest.
Some information courtesy of Shoreline Area News.
A station at the Lynnwood Convention Center instead of the Lynnwood Park and Ride?!?
Who elected the clowns who came up with that suggestion?
Run light rail up I-5, with stops at the existing transit centers in Mountlake Terrace, Lynnwood, and Ash Way.
It really isn’t that complicated.
How about dropping the thing right in at Alderwood Mall or somewhere close to it? The Lynnwood P&R is a bit awkward in its placement that is for sure.