If you live, work, or play along the proposed alignments for light rail to West Seattle and Ballard, now is the time to start writing your comments on the draft environmental impact statement (EIS). Sound Transit published the draft EIS on January 19 and comments are due on April 28. The agency has been busy sharing its findings with groups along the proposed alignments, including the Seattle Metro Chamber.
Sound Transit provided an overview of the project at the February Business Issues Forum and recently met with members of the Chamber’s Transportation Task Force and Policy Leadership Group. The project team dived into the details along each proposed extension and answered questions. Some of the issues discussed by Chamber members were:
- Maintaining access to major destinations and for all modes, such as the cruise terminals at Piers 90 and 91 and capacity on 15th Avenue West for freight.
- Providing legible and efficient transfers between the existing and future light rail lines, including from East Link to the rest of the system.
- Avoiding or mitigating construction impacts, particularly in downtown Seattle as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Maintaining reliable transit service to and from downtown Seattle during construction.
- Communicating proactively with property owners who may be impacted by the project.
You can learn more about the project and how to comment at an online open house. If you are interested in a particular neighbourhood along the alignments, Sound Transit’s presentations to community advisory groups are recorded and organized by segment. Click on Advisory Groups at the top of the website and view presentations from Meetings #3 and #4 that provide an overview and deep dive of the draft EIS results.
The Chamber will be submitting comments on the draft EIS. If there are topics or issues that you think should be included in the letter, please contact Meg Hanan, the Chamber’s Policy Specialist.