Time for Mercer Island residents to speak up about transit | Commentary

Published 2:35 pm Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Last month, the Sound Transit Board released a draft plan for Sound Transit 3 that responds to the support we’ve heard for fast, reliable mass transit that provides more options to more destinations. Now is the time for Mercer Island residents and people across the region to weigh in on that draft.

Before the month-long public comment period wraps up at 5 p.m. on Monday, May 2 please take a few minutes at soundtransit3.org to check out the draft plan and provide your input. The proposed investments you’ll see would link Mercer Island with destinations across a truly regional light rail stretching 112 miles and serving 35 new areas. The system would be comparable to those in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco.

The April 22 groundbreaking for building East Link light rail to Mercer Island, Bellevue and Redmond gives an exciting glimpse of the future of transportation in our region: More transit service connecting more neighborhoods to high-capacity light rail that whisks commuters over, under and around some of the worst traffic in the U.S. ST3 will determine where Islanders will be able to ride in the future.

Please take a few minutes at soundtransit3.org to check out the draft plan. The proposed investments you’ll see would link Mercer Island residents with destinations across a truly regional light rail stretching 112 miles and serving 35 new areas. The system would be comparable to those in Chicago, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco.

Closest to Mercer Island, the draft plan would respond to the input we’ve heard by extending the East Link line that is scheduled to open in 2023 all the way to Downtown Redmond. Additionally, a new line would be built from Bellevue to Issaquah via Eastgate. With the other proposed expansions, options for congestion-free travel on light rail would extend south all the way to Tacoma, north all the way to Everett and west to Seattle’s Ballard and West Seattle neighborhoods.

As one of the first projects delivered, the plan also establishes new bus rapid transit service stretching the length of I-405 and beyond, all the way from Lynnwood to Burien, with faster and more reliable buses running every 10 minutes during rush hours. The plan also establishes bus rapid transit service on SR 522, providing another connection for Eastside communities to the regional light rail system as it expands north on I-5.

These investments, and in particular the expansion of light rail destinations, will help ensure Mercer Island is connected to the rest of the region. As we complete a light-rail spine connecting job centers across our three-county region, our goal is for people to be able to get to their destination on time, every time, regardless of traffic or weather — even as we add a million more people over the next 25 years.

At its peak capacity, light rail can carry up to 16,000 people per hour in each direction, compared to up to 2,000 cars per hour in a freeway lane. The Sound Transit Board has proposed these investments because no other option can add the kind of capacity we need as one of the fastest-growing metropolitan regions in the country.

One frequent question we are hearing: How fast can we complete and open new extensions? Our staff is working to identify every possible option to deliver new services as quickly as possible.

Sound Transit and King County Metro are hosting a series of joint open houses, including the East King County meeting on April 27 in Redmond, or April 28 in Seattle, where our staff will be available to answer questions about proposed projects, timelines and plans for local buses and regional rail to operate as one, seamless system. During the month-long public comment period that ends April 29, you can also take an online survey, available at soundtransit3.org.

As we finalize the plan that will be presented to voters in November, we want to hear your thoughts. Your feedback will help shape the final draft of the proposed plan, which the Sound Transit Board of Directors will vote on in June.

In the meantime, we will continue to fine-tune the plan to deliver the best option to voters in November.

King County Executive Dow Constantine is chair of the Sound Transit Board of Directors. Claudia Balducci represents East King County communities on the Sound Transit Board and is a member of the King County Council.