Roosevelt Neighbors' Alliance
4534 University Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105November 8, 2001
James Irish, Link Environmental Manager
Sound Transit
401 S. Jackson Street
Seattle, WA 98104-2826
FAX: 206-398-5217Dear Mr. Irish:
The Roosevelt Neighbors Alliance (RNA) appreciates your consideration of our comments in preparing the scope of the Environmental Impact Statement. To frame the comments we referred back to the Sound Move Voter Statement.
Sound Move Voter Statement: Electric light rail would provide all-day, frequent, two-way service to employment, retail and residential centers, including between SeaTac, Sea-Tac Airport, Tukwila, Southeast Seattle, downtown Seattle, First Hill, Capitol Hill, University District (and, if additional funding is secured, Roosevelt District and Northgate), and between downtown Tacoma and Tacoma Dome.
The initial segment of the Link Light Rail, south of downtown Seattle, should be held to its proposed scope. Increasing the scope of the south should not be allowed if it raises the costs, diminishing the $400 million that is proposed for use for the north alignment.
The comparison of alternative routes should compare impacts and costs from downtown Seattle to Northgate. NE 45th Street should not be the northern terminus for Link Light Rail. Traffic congestion in the University District reaches gridlock during a large part of the business day already. The northern terminus for the north line construction phase should be Northgate. If additional funding is required to continue the phase to Northgate, it should be obtained prior to starting the construction project.
If funding is so limited that the alignment choice is being dictated primarily on the basis of cost, rather than locally supported alternatives, a cost saving measure that should be considered is elimination of the Roosevelt Station. This station was only included in the initial voter approved alignment based on sufficient funding. The Roosevelt area is the only initially listed station area that is not a regional destination.
A locally preferred alternative had already been chosen for the portion of the Central Link Light Rail between downtown and NE 45th. Changes to the LPA are being considered due to construction difficulties and associated high costs of going under Portage Bay. This route linked Capital Hill and the University District, two dense neighborhoods containing regional destinations within these two neighborhoods. The search for a more cost effective route between two regional destinations from the voter approved Sound Move should not result in a change to the voter approved list of regional destinations to be provided service from the light rail system.
In comparing the alignments in the EIS and any other documentation, the comparisons need to include transportation to the voter approved regional locations listed in the Sound Move Voter statement. If the light rail line does not directly reach the voter approved regional destination, then the impacts and cost of the secondary transit modes used to reach the voter approved regional destination from an alternative station outside the voter approved regional destination should be included in the impact statement. Consistency with adopted Neighborhood Plans, Urban Village and other adopted City and County plans should be given high priority. Rapid transit systems should support and enhance other planning efforts, not drive them.
Selection of mucking out and construction sites (not included in the finished footprint of the rail or station) should have limited impact on residential areas.
Noise measurements should include both an average noise metric such as LDN and a peak noise metric such as Leq. Noise measurements should be presented both in isolation and in conjunction with ambient noise. The RNA recommends alignments to include in the EIS should include: Routes providing direct service to First Hill and Capitol Hill, dense neighborhoods with regional destinations for work and medical centers.
Focus on the Montlake Cut crossing of the ship canal. This route maintains service to the University of Washington and increases the convenience to the University Hospital and Husky Stadium, both regional destinations, without decreasing service to the main campus.
Within the Roosevelt options the 12th Avenue tunnel option should be identified as the route to pursue. This route supports the adopted neighborhood plan, with minimal impact to existing single family housing.
The RNA further recommends removal of these alternatives from further consideration:
- The mid-level bridge crossing of the ship canal bridge should be removed from further study. The visual impacts and necessity of additional piers within the waterway, coupled with the need to disrupt service for occasional marine traffic crossings make it an undesirable alternative.
- The high-level bridge crossing should be given minimal further consideration as it has been studied and rejected previously.
- The South Lake Union alignments should be removed from further consideration as they contain significant departures from providing service to the Capitol Hill and First Hill Urban Centers included in the Voter approved Sound Move.
Thank you for providing this opportunity to make comments on the EIS Scoping for the North section of the Central Link Light Rail project.
Sincerely,
Jay Regenstreif and Hans Aschenbach
RNA Transportation Committee