Frequently Asked Questions
East Link is an 18-mile long extension of Sound Transit’s light rail system from Seattle, across Lake Washington via Interstate 90, through Bellevue and on to the Overlake Transit Center in Redmond. It was one of the transit improvements in Proposition 1, which was approved by voters in November 2008.
In December 2008, Sound Transit released a draft environmental impact statement for East Link, a detailed analysis of 19 different route alternatives in five segments. Public comments were accepted over 75 days. On Feb. 23, 2009, the Bellevue City Council submitted a route preference letter to Sound Transit’s Board of Directors. A tentative East Link schedule outlines work in the 2009-2010 time frame.
The following questions and answers about East Link will be updated periodically, with new questions appearing at the beginning.
Q: What criteria did the City Council use in choosing a preferred route?
A: The council wanted to choose a route that would serve the city and the region by:
- Maximizing ridership and minimizing travel times for travelers;
- Connecting the area’s three largest employment centers: downtown Seattle, downtown Bellevue and Microsoft’s campuses in Redmond;
- Protecting neighborhoods and commercial districts from impacts during and after construction;
- Providing a safe, reliable and environmentally wise alternative to driving;
- Promoting “smart growth” polices aimed at concentrating development in urban areas near transit.
Q: Did the Council anticipate light rail when it recently adopted a long-range plan for the Bel-Red Corridor area northeast of downtown?
A: Absolutely. Recent changes to Bellevue’s Comprehensive Plan and land-use code anticipated East Link running through the 900-acre Bel-Red corridor. The Bel-Red plan encourages residential and office development clustered in “nodes” around light rail stations on a newly built Northeast 16th Street. Such clustering will help advance city and regional growth management objectives that call for more density in urban areas in order to reduce sprawl in suburban and rural areas.
Q: How did Bellevue prepare to make decisions about light rail?
A: More than two years of research, planning and public outreach took place before the City Council reached a decision on its preferred light rail route. At the core of this effort was a unique Light Rail Best Practices project to learn about other cities’ experiences with light rail, then apply the lessons learned by developing principles and polices that reflect community values in Bellevue. In June 2008, the council-appointed Best Practices Committee produced a final report on its work and in August council adopted comprehensive plan policies based on the group’s work.
Q: What is the Bellevue City Council’s route preference for East Link?
A: Of the three East Link segments that run through Bellevue (preferred route map), the council unanimously agreed on two of them, segments C and D. For Segment C, running through the downtown area, the council recommended the C2T Alternative, which includes a downtown tunnel. For segment D, from downtown to the Overlake Transit Center, the council’s choice was the D2A Alternative, an at-grade and elevated line along a newly created Northeast 16th Street.
Q: What did the council decide about its preferred route between I-90 and downtown?
A: Ultimately, the council chose a modified route that combines elements of two alternatives – B3 and B7 – that were contained in Sound Transit’s environmental review. This hybrid choice has the potential to better protect neighborhoods with a side-running line that would place light rail just east of Bellevue Way and 112th Avenue Southeast, farther away from residences. It also would provide the best regional and local transit access with a station at the existing South Bellevue park-and-ride and minimize construction impacts by reducing the need for street reconstruction.
Q: Won’t the council’s preferred alternative cost more than what Sound Transit has budgeted?
A: The City Council is confident its preferred route is the optimal choice to fully realize the benefits of East Link, for both the city and the region. However, Council recognizes the preliminary cost of the preferred route exceeds the estimate for Sound Transit’s “representative alignment.” Bellevue has pledged to work cooperatively with Sound Transit to identify cost savings on other segments of East Link, and to seek new sources of money at the local, state and national level.
Q: Why is a tunnel needed in downtown Bellevue?
A: A tunnel is imperative since the capacity of Bellevue's downtown street system is inadequate to accommodate a street-level light rail alignment. Because of downtown Bellevue's oversized, 600-foot long "superblocks," there are roughly half as many streets as in a typical downtown, where the blocks are smaller. Superblocks and wide arterial streets are a legacy of Bellevue's auto-oriented history that limit options when it comes to a downtown light rail route. Placing light rail on streets would reduce capacity and create a choke point for the East Link system. An elevated alignment takes up less roadway but was ruled out because of its negative impact on pedestrians, its impact on existing buildings, higher business displacements and lower ridership.
Q: Why would a street-level light rail alignment be so bad for downtown Bellevue?
A: Taking up road capacity with a light rail line at street level would severely impact the ability to accommodate buses, bikes, vanpools, cars and pedestrians as downtown continues to grow. An inability to expand downtown streets and a handful of critical intersections constrain the capacity of the system. Especially problematic are three major downtown streets – Northeast Eighth Street, Northeast Fourth Street and Bellevue Way – which carry a high volume of traffic to regional highways. If traffic signals are adjusted to accommodate light rail it will have a severe effect on the entire network, resulting in increased congestion. More congestion, in turn, would delay light rail trains, creating a choke point for the entire East Link system.
Q: What is the relationship between Bellevue and Sound Transit?
A: Bellevue staff have worked closely with Sound Transit staff throughout the DEIS process, and that relationship is expected to continue through the completion of East Link.
Q: Will construction of the council’s preferred alternative for East Link trigger more intense development in south Bellevue neighborhoods? A: Not necessarily. Bellevue’s long-standing commitment is to protect neighborhoods from unwanted density. The Comprehensive Plan and land-use code would not allow more intense development in south Bellevue and there are no plans to change them. To meet growth management targets, the City does want to encourage more density downtown and in the Bel-Red corridor.
Q: What are the impacts of Bellevue’s preferred alternative on Mercer Slough?
A: The B3 Modified Alternative preferred by Council is a new alternative and its impacts have not yet been fully evaluated. The original B3 alternative route studied in the DEIS would impact 1.2 acres of Mercer Slough wetland. Another route that drew significant interest by Council, the B7 Alternative, would impact up to 1.8 acres of wetland and 3.1 acres of non-wetland habitat, according to the DEIS.
Q: Will homes or businesses need to be condemned to build Bellevue’s preferred route?
A: As several council members have noted, every route has impacts to some extent. The B3 hybrid route may avoid residential displacements, although the city-owned F.W. Winters House may need to be moved to accommodate that alternative and some office buildings along Southeast Eighth Street may be displaced. The C2T Alternative would displace from zero to 12 housing units, according to the draft environmental review, and eight to 16 businesses. The D2A Alternative, would impact no residences, but would displace 41 to 49 businesses.
Q: When will Sound Transit make a decision on a light rail route and station locations in Bellevue?
A: Sound Transit’s Board of Directors are expected to make their preliminary decision on a preferred route in May 2009. A final decision will come in mid-2010, after completion of a final environmental impact statement.
Q: When will Sound Transit begin acquiring needed property?
A: Design is currently at the “conceptual” stage. Sound Transit will continue work on its preferred alternative and reach the “preliminary” design stage in the summer of 2010. Some property acquisitions could occur at that time. Sound Transit is expected to begin negotiations with most property owners in 2011 or 2012 when the design is more advanced.
Q: When will construction of East Link begin and end?
A: Sound Transit forecasts construction on East Link will start in 2013; light rail service in downtown Bellevue would begin in 2020; service to Overlake would begin in 2021.
Q: How will construction of East Link affect traffic in Bellevue?
A: Construction impacts for a project of this size will be unavoidable. Extended lane closures, detours and delays should be expected. Specific construction-related impacts have not yet been determined, but will be identified as the design process progresses.
Q: Where can I find more information about East Link?
A: Sound Transit offers more information about East Link.
