520 Light Rail Option Proves to be Great Argument Fodder

Mayor McGinn

As the Seattle Times sums it up, "Lawmakers decided three years ago on a bridge configuration--two general lanes and one lane for carpool and bus traffic in each direction--and left the option of light rail to be decided in the future."

However, since it's not so easy to slap a light rail on a bridge once it's built--and this is talked about as a 75- to 100-year bridge--Mayor McGinn has been pushing for light rail on 520 on its opening day. (That collective, Peanuts-y AAUGH! you hear in the distance is from everyone who's worked on getting the project this far.)

This morning at 11 a.m., McGinn is to announce the results of his own consultant's report on the advisability of adding light rail to 520, but KING 5 jumped the gun with a sneak preview. Says KING:

The draft report from Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates concludes that the plan for light rail on I-90 should proceed, but "the focus of the effort on 520 should... not replace the current planning and design underway."

Untrue! says McGinn's office. Here's the full quote from the report:

"Sound Transit’s current project to construct light rail to the Eastside over I-90 should continue unabated.  The focus of effort on SR 520 should be assessing the potential to add a second cross-Lake Washington LRT corridor, not to replace the current planning and design work underway."

Not exactly earth-shattering, but it would be nice, while the state is making vague promises about adding light rail sometime later when it's convenient, to be sure that light rail is actually a possibility given the new bridge's design. UPDATE: Publicola quotes McGinn at his press conference saying, "The corridor as currently designed virtually precludes light rail in the future." But the report also says planning for light rail on 520 would take five years. Sigh.