By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Underscoring the interconnectedness of Seattle’s transportation network, looming changes downtown are stirring concerns and questions here on the other side of the bay. They re-emerged at the West Seattle Transportation Coalition‘s most-recent monthly meeting.

The changes are being discussed under the umbrella title One Center City; we first wrote about it back in January, and then WSTC talked about it in February, agreeing to arrange for an official briefing, which is what happened last Thursday night.

It’s all about a variety of major downtown projects and changes converging, to increase demand on downtown streets, starting next year – including buses getting booted from the downtown transit tunnel to facilitate convention-center expansion. And WSTC members and attendees asked some pointed questions.

The briefing for WSTC was led by Kim Becklund of Metro Transit, who stresses that outreach for One Center City is in the very-early phase, with restructuring decisions not scheduled to be made for almost a year. She was joined by Diane Wiatr of SDOT. (Their slide deck is atop our story, provided after the meeting, which was held at Neighborhood House High Point.)

Becklund said one big issue is “how do we restructure our transit to take advantage of light rail in a meaningful way,” noting that the expansion of light rail last year led to big changes. And now: “What we’ve always known for 20 years or so is that buses are going to have to come out of the (downtown transit) tunnel. … What we see now is the opportunity to restructure to get ahead of” some upcoming changes. … There’s a lot of moving parts.” It’s about feeding the light-rail lines as they grow; “we’re going to high urban levels of transit that have been in demand in this area for so many years.”

So here’s what the restructuring could look like for West Seattle and vicinity, which Becklund noted is already very engaged with transit. “We’ve grown so fast. … As we look at the grid and how it intersects with the bus network … we’re trying to solve a lot of different problems.” Engineers and planners started sitting down in 2014 “to really identify what are those specific improvements we could make” around hubs.

Becklund said that for West Seattle, the International District is a hub – and WSTC board member Chas Redmond challenged that contention – saying that for example, people from here who are headed to light rail right now more commonly go to SODO.

Meantime, Becklund talked about the draft proposal for West Seattle bus-route restructuring, which could kick in during the September 2018 “service change.” (See page 15 in the deck atop this story for the map.)

She pointed out what’s happening with other “pathways” downtown, including Colman Dock ferry terminal redevelopment (with construction starting this year), and the new Center City Streetcar downtown expected to go into service in 2020. Chris Arkills from King County added that another big reason for the proposed changes is that what’s left of the Alaskan Way Viaduct could be coming down “as soon as the end of next year.” When the waterfront “pathway” can’t be used by traffic, they’ll be aiming for 1st and 4th Avenues.

WSTC chair Michael Taylor-Judd took issue at that point with the inference that some of the factors playing into the One Center City traffic tangle were unavoidable – for example, he said, the Washington State Convention Center expansion project doesn’t have to be moved up. Since Sound Transit is reported to be maxed out, having buses feed into light rail might not be possible. “The council and the executive have a whole lot of choice in the timing.”

Arkills said the Convention Center timing might be optional but some other things aren’t, such as the Viaduct demolition.

Becklund said, “We’re in the most maximum constrained time, between now and 2021, now and 2023” (when light-rail expansion lines open). She also recalled that some changes were made on the grid back when the downtown tunnel was closed for a few years to add rail, trying to explain that grid changes are not a new thing.

WSTC vice chair Marty Westerman suggested that what seems to be missing is conversation between the development community and the transportation community. The timing seems bad. Two years ago, WSTC asked SDOT director Scott Kubly when the two groups would be talking. And now, he said, it looks like the transportation folks are going to be sending buses places that “people don’t want to go.” He also questioned the need for the Convention Center expansion.

Taylor-Judd then brought up the newest studies about the not-yet-set tolls for the Highway 99 tunnel and what kind of diversion that might result in, and yet other factors leading to more cars on the street and less capacity for them in the meantime. “Early planning doesn’t seem to be reflecting that reality.” So, are there traffic studies? was the WSTC question

Yes, said Becklund, “we can provide them.” She reiterated that what they’re talking about is “the time of maximum constraint.”

WSTC board member Mark Jacobs said it seemed to him that the Convention Center should be delayed at least a year so that transit can add more vehicles and handle more people.

Others chimed in on that. The Convention Center seemed to them like a non-mandatory contributor to what could shaping up to be a transportation-tangle nightmare. Redmond added that what he’s hearing is all about the impact to the transportation agencies, not to the transportation customers. “You’re representing a government entity that’s pushing this forward.”

Becklund offered to send transportation planners to a future meeting to talk about the potential restructuring on the route by route level – saying that this first conversation was “to set the context.” She said she’s a bus rider so she knows how it goes, firsthand. She also urged feedback to elected officials (the Convention Center is a City Council matter – (added) by means of required actions such as proposed street and alley vacations – Metro itself is a King County service).

Taylor-Judd wondered where the money is coming from for the infrastructure that will be needed to support all this – restriping, signals, etc. – and “what other projects might be cut or delayed” to make this plan work.

The briefers then pointed out that “even if buses weren’t coming out of the (downtown) tunnel” they’d be looking at operational changes downtown such as how buses are boarded, how lanes are striped, how signals work, etc., acknowledging the “awkward” timing of so many projects, but saying that many of them are grant-based and some are “not so much” in the city and county’s control.

Overall, many frustrations were voiced – such as how will downtown construction be timed and controlled so that it can co-exist with everybody trying to go about their business during this time of “maximum constraint.”

Becklund said that for example, they are “truly collaborating with Sound Transit.” And, more than half Metro’s routes touch downtown.

Westerman said, “I’m not hearing you say you’re sitting down with the developers and telling them” what is needed to make things work.

Maybe a future conversation should include city land-use people, then, the Metro team suggested.

What’s the time frame for comments? was the next question.

Summer, was the reply. Next January, there’ll be an ordinance, and next March, the County Council will have to make “a firm decision on what changes, if any, go forward” (for Metro).

So who to comment to now? Joe McDermott is county councilmember for this area, and chair of the council; Rob Dembowski is the chair of the council’s transportation committee. Taylor-Judd said that McDermott was invited to this meeting but was out of town and was unable to attend.

Park-and-rides then came up; Arkills said the county is reviewing them and some of them are in places where they are needed because of “bad land-use decisions.”

Meantime, Becklund stressed that while long-range planning is under way too, the work they were here to talk about covers the shorter term, “the next four or five years.” Metro is looking at 2025 and 2040 plans, she added. In the long range, they’re going to have to “partner with private entities” such as Uber and Lyft, she said, that are not competitive but complementary to what they offer.

WSTC board member Deb Barker asked for graphics that show more of the West Seattle impacts. The discussion continued to range far and wide and it’s clear there will be sequels.

Also discussed at WSTC’s meeting:

FAUNTLEROY BOULEVARD PROJECT: WSTC wants to draft a letter with points including opposition to the removal of right-turn pockets and also suggesting that bike paths are not needed on both sides, since, for one, bicyclists aren’t coming off the high bridge. WSTC board members wondered about the traffic study data which SDOT had promised at last week’s meeting. (We checked with SDOT on that afterward – here’s our story.)

WSTC SEEKS NONPROFIT STATUS: This is in the works. They’re taking contributions to cover the cost of the process (WSTC is not a dues-charging organization so has no source of funds).

TWO OPENINGS … remain on the WSTC Board, with particular interest, chair Taylor-Judd reiterated, in adding a West Seattle business representative and in increasing the board’s diversity.

The West Seattle Transportation Coalition meets fourth Thursdays most months, 6:30 pm at Neighborhood House High Point.