Here are some things you may not know:

1. Light rail will not decrease traffic congestion. Despite misleading pro-ST3 ads showing gridlocked traffic on area highways, ST3 will not take cars off the road so people can drive faster to work. “That sort of claim would be false.” (Seattle Times, Mike Lindblom transportation reporter, Oct. 13)

2. Upon completion of ST3 (supposedly in 2040), only 0.4 percent of the region’s “daily person trips” will be by light rail. (Puget Sound Regional Council, Transportation 2040, 2014 update.)

3. I-90’s center roadway across Lake Washington will be closed permanently to all vehicle traffic beginning mid-2017, and will not be open for light rail passengers until seven years later.

4. In 1989, during the EIS process on the I-90 two-way transit and HOV operations project, WSDOT and Sound Transit rejected and eliminated from further consideration the roadway alternative called “R-4,” which had the exact same roadway configuration that will exist on I-90 with light rail taking over the center roadway. Alternative R-4 involved “converting the center roadway to two-way transit-only operation; adding one new HOV lane to each of the outer roadways, created by restriping the outer roadways to reduce shoulder and possibly lane widths, to create a fourth, HOV-only lane in each direction.” WSDOT and Sound Transit rejected R-4 “because it would have narrow shoulder widths and reduced stopping sight distances [in the outer roadways] that would create safety concerns.” (See pp. 2-6 and 2-7, I-90 Two-Way Transit & HOV Operations FEIS (May 2004). Those same unsafe elements will exist on I-90 with light rail in the center lanes.

5. The center roadway’s current reversible lanes provide an important detour route in the case of bridge maintenance/repair or damage that closes down lanes, police action or other emergency, or blocking accidents in either direction on I-90. That detour capability will also end mid-2017 when the center lanes are closed for light rail. Traffic will have to drive around the ends of the lake or drive on congested I-405 and SR 520’s tolled lanes to get around blocking incidents.

6. ST3’s project list provides no additional parking on the Island so that Islanders can even access light rail. (See ST3 FAQs on Sound Transit website.)

7. To date, Sound Transit has provided no mitigation for the Island’s loss of mobility despite its obligations under the 2004 amendment and the 1976 Memorandum of Agreement.

8. Our council has been telling Islanders for the past 11 years that it had secured Mercer Island single occupant vehicle use of the new HOV lanes in the outer roadway. That is not the case. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recently informed the city that it is “illegal” for Mercer Island single occupant vehicles to have access to the new outer roadway HOV lanes. And further, that continued SOV use of the Island Crest Way access ramp to westbound I-90 must end, and end permanently, since it leads to what will be the HOV lane. This will cause greatly increased congestion and gridlock on island city streets, very long queues, and greatly increased travel time.

9. Our school district and city government will face significant increased sales tax costs if ST3 passes, as they must pay sales tax too. The chief financial officer of the MISD “ball parked” a $30,000 to $40,000 per year increase in its sales tax exposure/expense if ST3 passes. The finance director of the city of Mercer Island estimated there would be a $63,300 per year increase in the city’s sales tax exposure/expense for the next six years if ST3 passes, based on city projects and operations already approved by the council for that time frame. ST3 sales taxes would continue for at least 25 years if ST3 passes, so sales tax exposure could rise dramatically if big projects are approved or needed.

Lisa Belden

Mercer Island