M E M O
| TO: | Mr. Dave Earling, Sound Transit Board Chair Other Sound Transit Board Members Ms. Joni Earl, ST Acting Executive Director |
| FROM: | John Deeter 5017 15th Avenue NE, Apt. 103, Seattle WA 98105 |
| DATE: | May 12, 2001 |
| RE: | Sims-Schell proposal for a south-oriented Central Link |
I attended the Sound Transit Board meeting last Thursday (5/10), where Mr. Sims and Mr. Schell introduced a proposal to reduce the initial operating segment of Central Link to the portion from Convention Place to Sea-Tac. I agree with the core message of this proposal -- that Sound Transit should implement some portion of Central Link as quickly as possible -- but take strong exception to most of the details. I believe that the initial operating line should run from Capitol Hill to Sea-Tac. I understand that Mr. Earling has already suggested something similar.
I have strongly supported the Locally Preferred Alternative for Central Link, and continue to do so. The aligment for the northern segment (Downtown Seattle to Northgate) was carefully chosen after lengthy study and public discussion to serve the densest and most transit-dependent areas in the region, and the Sound Transit Board has several times reaffirmed this decision. It makes little sense to abandon the key regional centers of First Hill, Capitol Hill and the University District in favor of the much less dense regions to the south. I fear that the Sims-Schell proposal will do just this.
I suggest that there is a much better way of proceeding that does much less violence than the Sims-Schell proposal to the plan approved by the voters in 1996. The major problem right now is not with the plan itself, but with financing it in view of the recent reassessment of project costs. Financing now depends more heavily on federal funds than was previously expected.
The key to getting maximum federal funding is to match construction to available federal funds. The financing plan specified in the Full Funding Grant Agreement currently on the table is very unfavorable to Sound Transit, since it commits the agency to building University Link ("MOS-1") with only a 22 percent federal contribution and then requires a 70 percent federal share from the next transit funding cycle (FY 2004-09) for Airport Link ("MOS-2"). This assumption of an unrealistically high federal contribution for MOS-2 is the main question mark in the current financial plan, and can only be resolved by delaying part of the current MOS-1 until later.
The Sims-Schell proposal leaves open the vital question of phasing a series of MOS's that lead to the completion of Central Link Phase I from Northgate to Sea-Tac. On the other hand, phasing is relatively straightforward if MOS-1 is cut back to the segment from Capitol Hill to Lander St. (with joint bus operations in the existing Downtown Transit Tunnel). This would raise the federal contribution for MOS-1 to a more reasonable 35 percent, assuming the full $500 million could be retained. MOS-2 (still Lander St. to Sea-Tac) would be started in 2004 with around a $500 million federal contribution, and the two segments (Capitol Hill to Sea-Tac) would be opened concurrently in 2008. MOS-3 (northward from Capitol Hill to either 45th St. or Northgate) would be started by 2006, and MOS-4 (45th St. to Northgate) would be delayed into the following funding cycle (2010-15) if financial constraints make this necessary.
The only major difference in this plan from the current one is to delay the Capitol Hill to 45th St. segment into the next funding cycle in order to leverage the greatest possible federal contribution. On paper, at least, this one single change greatly reduces the financial risk for the entire project. It also moves Central Link decisively forward, settling once and for all the vital question of whether or not Capitol Hill and First Hill will be served by Central Link. In short, terminating (temporarily) at Capitol Hill makes much more sense than stopping at Convention Place, and this alternative should and must be considered first.
Send e-mail to:
John Deeter <bj556@scn.org>
This is a link to John Deeter's home page.
