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Light Rail and Bellevue

Introduction

Preferred Route
	Preferred Route Map

Frequently Asked Questions

Draft EIS

Public Involvement

Bellevue's Best Practices

Televised Council Discussion

Council Policy

In the News

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In early 2010, Sound Transit and the Bellevue City Council considered four new alternatives for the East Link light rail segment in downtown Bellevue. The work is part of a broader effort to select the best route for East Link, a project by Sound Transit to extend light rail from Seattle, across Lake Washington on Interstate 90, through Bellevue and on to the Overlake Transit Center in Redmond.

Part of the work included a unquie, Council-sponsored Light Rail Best Practices project, which studied light rail systems in other cities with the intent of applying the lessons learned to Bellevue. Following that two-year effort, the City Council in late February 2009 selected a preferred light rail route through Bellevue. The decision also came after a A Sound Transit train comment period on a draft environmental review of East Link.

A preference letter from Bellevue to Sound Transit's Board of Directors spells out the Council's preferred route. An East Link presentation by Bellevue's mayor to the Sound Transit Board further details the city's position and a tentative East Link schedule outlines work in the 2009-2010 time frame. A question-and-answer session with Goran Sparrman, director of Bellevue's Transportation Deparrtment, provides more information about light rail in Bellevue.

In May 2009, the Sound Transit Board of Directors identfied its preferred route for East Link. A final decsion will be made by early 2011, based on further evaluation that's part of a final environmental impact statement.

The City Council in January 2010 sent a letter to the Sound Transit Board of Directors asking that a "modified B7" light rail alternative south of downtown be evaluated and included in an update to the East Link Environmental Impact Statement. A map of the modifed B7 route shows that alternative.

These web pages are intended to provide background and additional information on Bellevue's involvement with East Link, a transportation investment that will last for decades. In making their selection, Council members wanted a route that would fully realize the benefits of East Link for the city and the region. The council intends its preferred route to:

Optimize ridership and minimize travel times for planned and future extensions;
Connect the region's three largest employment centers: downtown Seattle, downtown Bellevue and Microsoft's main campus in Redmond;
Protect neighborhoods and commercial districts from impacts during and after construction;
Provide a safe, reliable and environmentally friendly alternative to solo driving;
Promote "smart growth" polices aimed at concentrating development in urban areas near transit.

To learn more about East Link or discuss an issue:

Bellevue City Council: Contact a Council member at 425-452-7810 or council@bellevuewa.gov
Bellevue staff: Bernard van de Kamp, 425-452-6459 or bvandekamp@bellevuewa.gov
Sound Transit staff: Katie Kuciemba, 206-398-5459 or katie.kuciemba@soundtransit.org

Contact Information

City Council
450 110th Ave. NE
P.O. Box 90012
Bellevue, WA 98009
Phone: 425-452-7810
Fax: 425-452-7919
E-mail: council@bellevuewa.gov

Transportation
450 110th Ave. NE
P.O. Box 90012
Bellevue, WA 98009
Contact: Bernard van de Kamp
Phone: 425-452-6459
E-mail: bvandekamp@bellevuewa.gov

Related Links

Sound Transit East Link External Web Link