Current project timeline estimates for the Sound Transit Link South 200th Street station.
Wednesday evening at Sea-Tac City Hall, Sound Transit held a public comment open house on the proposed South 200th Street Light Rail Extension. As we reported over the weekend, the open house was an opportunity to “check out the proposed route, station elements and public art plan for the extension of Link light rail service to South 200th Street.” The public was invited to:
- Identify important station features
- Talk to project staff
- See where the train will go
City of Sea-Tac Mayor Terry Anderson greets visitor to the Sound Transit Open House at City Hall Wednesday.
Apparently, a significant chunk of the Sea-Tac population is very interested in plans to extend the Link southward beyond Sea-Tac airport. The Council Chambers at City Hall were packed, and the mood in the room was very civil, with members of the public eagerly scanning over maps, charts, and diagrams. It probably helped that Mayor Terry Anderson was on hand for the event. We met her at the door and were greeted warmly. “I’ve been criticized for being too friendly!” she remarked. “But I’ve lived here all my life. What are you going to do?”
Those who were raised in the area little envisioned the kinds of changes that are in the works. When I purchased my first bicycle, a Raleigh 3-speed, at the old Angle Lake bike shop just south of where IHOP now is on International Blvd., even the original Metro 174 route was a couple years away. Now, the planned Link station at S. 200th Street is just the first step in a long range plan to extend light rail all the way into Redondo. And yet estimates for completion of this first step are projected for completion “between 2015 and 2020 depending on funding,” according to the Sound Transit project webpage.
Members of the public review a large-scale map showing the proposed route of the Link route extension to South 200th Street.
Critics point out that Sound Transit’s approach to the project–seeking approval and funding for one 25-block section of rail at a time, and taking up to a decade to complete each chunk–demonstrates the slippery slope of publicly funded transportation projects: get your foot in the door, and you can keep special interest groups happy for decades, all the while bleeding taxpayers dry. Supposed one-time tax approvals are simply a myth, they say.
Conversely, transit boosters and users alike–even some former critics–point out that the existing Link from Sea-Tac International to Westlake Station seems to have done precisely what it set out to do. The Tukwila station parking area is consistently filled on weekdays, trains are packed, and northbound traffic into Seattle via I-5 is lighter than it has been since about 1982. “Why wouldn’t we want to extend a system that’s working precisely as designed?” they reason.
In any event, initial funding for the S. 200th St. station has been approved and the project is moving forward, with an estimated opening at this time of 2016.
Here are complete details from the flyer distributed Wednesday night:
Sound Transit is preparing to extend Link light rail from its current southern terminus atSea-Tac Airport to South 200th Street in theCity of SeaTac. This is the first segment of voter-approved extensions of service south to the Redondo/Star Lake area of north Federal Way. Service to South 200th may open as early as 2016.
This project increases high capacity transit access to Sea-Tac International Airport, a leading regional economic engine responsible for nearly 90,000 direct jobs and 13,000 indirect jobs. For many workers and travelers, the extension of light rail service will provide a reliable transit alternative to driving on the congested Interstate 5freeway and SR 99 and SR 518 highways.
Link light rail opened for service between downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport in 2009. Voter-approved extensions over the next fewyears will bring 36 new miles of service to the north, east and south, creating a 54-mile light rail system serving the region.
PROJECT BENEFITS
- 1.6 miles of elevated double-track guideway
- New station at South 200th Street and 28th Avenue South with off street parking; passenger drop-off area; and light rail, local bus and bus rapid transit service connections
- Bicycle amenities including station bike racks and secure bike lockers
- 4,500 daily riders expected at South 200th Street Station
- Frequent, reliable service to downtown Seattle and the
University of Washington
Details of the planned Link route extension to South 200th Street, from the flyer distributed at the Open House.
