The board made this addition at the March 29 Sound Transit Board workshop.
“Ballard and West Seattle are dense, pro-transit
communities who face an uncertain mobility future,” said Councilmember
Phillips, a member of the Sound Transit Board. “Transit Now provides
a great near-term transit option with Rapid Ride, but in the long term,
light rail would provide more capacity and faster, more reliable trips.
Sound Transit has an opportunity in ST2 to look at integrating the western
part of Seattle into the regional light rail system.”
“By studying light rail to West Seattle and Ballard for a potential
‘West Link’ line, Sound Transit is poised to move forward
as opportunities present themselves to add high capacity transit,”
said Councilmember Constantine. “When light rail to the airport
opens in 2009, this region will be motivated to expand the rail network
as quickly as possible. This study will give us the knowledge to make
light rail to West Seattle, North Highline, and Burien feasible.”
The Sound
Transit Board recently completed public outreach on the draft ST2 plan,
which received nearly 8,000 comments. The draft ST2 package would build
over 40 miles of light rail, make improvements to Sounder, add 12,000
new park and ride stalls, and enhance bus rapid transit facilities on
405. Combined with the transit investments Sound Transit is already making,
the system is projected to carry over 350,000 riders a day by 2030, or
over 100 million riders annually.
Final adoption of the plan is scheduled for April 26, 2007. ST2 will be
the transit portion of a $16.5 billion Roads and Transit ballot measure
that will go to voters in November.
Phone: (206) 296-1000 | Fax: (206) 296-0198 | TTY/TDD:
(206) 296-1024 | Toll Free: (800) 325-6165
Mailing Address: King County Courthouse, 516 Third Avenue, Room 1200,
Seattle, WA 98104-3272