WEST SEATTLE LIGHT RAIL: Sound Transit wants to talk with you again about stations

(Rendering from Sound Transit’s draft environmental impact statement on West Seattle extension)

Toward the end of last October’s West Seattle meeting about light-rail station planning, Sound Transit managers promised a followup event here in “early” 2024. Last night, they announced the date: March 5. They’re promising that what they bring will reflect what attendees said at the October event plus via other means of feedback – “a summary of community priorities for future light rail station design in West Seattle and SODO, based on feedback we heard from the public in fall 2023.” Currently three stations are planned on this side of the Duwamish River – Delridge, Avalon, and The Junction – and ST has presented relatively detailed layouts for the likely locations, though the exact routing hasn’t been finalized yet (that’s expected in the second half of this year). So set your calendar for 5:30-7:30 pm Tuesday, March 5, same place as the October meeting – the Alki Masonic Center at 40th/Edmunds. The $4 billion West Seattle light-rail extension is still projected to start service in 2032, after five years of construction starting in 2027.

Mr. Man February 6, 2024 (9:24 am)

we dont want it. thanks.

David February 6, 2024 (10:45 am)

I am afraid that this project is doomed to fail due to all the NIMBY’s and naysayers – I hope that I am wrong but it reminds me of the Forward Thrust initiative in the 1960’s where the few imposed their wishes on the many

Jeff February 6, 2024 (1:29 pm)

No chance. Light rail is coming!

Jason February 6, 2024 (11:20 am)

It’s so beautiful. I cannot wait. We need all the stations. We need ST3 done on time as Mr. Saka said today in the council meetings. Glad he’s supportive of lightrail and speeding it up.

Niko February 6, 2024 (2:33 pm)

Defund Sound Transit
Peter S. February 6, 2024 (2:56 pm)

There’s nothing beautiful about it. Not opposed to to light rail, but it should be subterranean as it is on Cap Hill, U District, Beacon Hill, etc. Yes, more expensive, but not the visual blight to residential neighborhoods that overhead is, far less disruptive, and less affected by hillside gradients. Surface is cheaper, but also sub-optimal with risks to pedestrians and other crossing traffic.
- Jamie February 7, 2024 (2:46 pm)
  
  I agree 100% with you.
platypus February 6, 2024 (4:30 pm)

Agreed! So freaking cool to see the trains. lets go!

whataboutthecreedence February 6, 2024 (11:28 am)

That rendering is something else.

Brandon February 6, 2024 (2:18 pm)

Right? So, it’d tower over homes in north Delridge and somehow make it up the Genesse hill? If it connected further north to Avalon, how the hell would it do that without going through a few residential blocks. That can’t be a realistic route option… but then again, its ST.
- Jamie February 7, 2024 (2:47 pm)
  
  I agree 100%
Seth February 7, 2024 (1:02 pm)

I cant believe all the houses in the valley most of which are 4 stories will be looking up at this concrete behemoth. This is not a good look. I love the LR but it shoulnt be the most towering structure by far.

Pulaski MacTavish February 6, 2024 (12:03 pm)

YIMBY, YIYBY.No option will please everyone.

ws February 6, 2024 (12:51 pm)

So are they planning on demolishing the QFC and apartments above it to build the Alaska Junction Station?

WSB February 6, 2024 (4:39 pm)

The Junction station is currently likely to be underground. There will still be some demolition (Jefferson Square primarily is shown on the renderings so far) for staging, entrances, etc.
Cam February 7, 2024 (2:22 pm)

Look at the designs that are linked in the article………..No, QFC will not be demolished.

Salal February 6, 2024 (1:10 pm)

Horrible plan. Scrap it !

Bus February 6, 2024 (1:12 pm)

Jesus, can we stop talking and just build it already?

Defund Sound Transit February 6, 2024 (1:19 pm)

That $4 billion figure will undoubtedly rise by at least a billion before this mismanaged fiasco gets the first train rolling.

Derek February 6, 2024 (2:23 pm)

Thank you WSB. I’ll be attending. I want to voice my support for ST3 and see what we can do to get this done on time. Lightrail is vital to fixing our climate issues.

anonyme February 6, 2024 (3:16 pm)

Not only will light rail not fix our climate issues, but it will happen only after the tipping point has long passed.
Daniel February 6, 2024 (4:09 pm)

Agreed. I’m not optimistic about it actually happening (on time at least), but it does need to be done.

Niko February 6, 2024 (2:32 pm)

We want more bus service NOT destruction

k February 7, 2024 (2:17 pm)

How about more bus service AND destruction?

Scarlett February 6, 2024 (3:28 pm)

You can’t kill a bad idea. Once it’s been planted in the mind, nourished with all kinds of fantasy projections about what it will do, forget about it. Spiffy looking rendering, though.

Jort February 6, 2024 (5:36 pm)

Oh hey! Speaking of bad ideas that will never die, did you hear there are billions of dollars slated, right now, for highway expansion?! Did you know that those expansions are “nourished” by fantasy projections which have never been met, too? Huh! How about that, huh?!

WSEnviornmentalist February 6, 2024 (5:51 pm)

How might construction impact the foundations of existing structures? And what about construction sites during the rainy seasons? Many areas of WS are ‘liquefaction soil”. Four to eight years of water saturating disrupted sloppy soil plus exposing utilities, etc – messy with lots of potential disruptions and damage. Many WS houses were built in the early 20th C. The building plans no longer exist so pretty much no one knows what’s below the surface. Maybe we should request soil samples, geological and hydrological reviews and contaminant tests before moving forward. Think of all the industrial deposits from what is currently Nucor including dumping and all of the belching from the smoke stacks – coal. The EPA only began mitigation in the 1990s. How do you think the Duwamaish became a Super Fund site? Very risky.

Former Mole February 6, 2024 (7:46 pm)

While these are valid concerns, from an engineering perspective they will 100% be addressed. There will be extensive geotechnical investigations prior to this project going to bid. They don’t allow contractors to just run with a project of this magnitude with zero regard for the surrounding neighborhoods and environmental impact. There will be contaminated soil studies, dedicated truck paths and disposal plans, and extensive geotechnical studies as part of the bid package. Impact to surrounding structures will be minimal. As a resident of north delridge in a house about to celebrate it’s 100th birthday, I don’t worry about construction impacting its structural capacity. I’m not saying that there will be zero impacts to houses, but they will be relatively negligible.Just my 2 cents as an engineer involved in multiple tunneling and heavy civil projects (of similar magnitude) coast to coast.
Sam February 6, 2024 (8:44 pm)

@WSEnviornmentalist
It’s like you read the spark notes of Grapes of Wrath and are now giving a book report in class and sure are talking about angry wine a lot. You are stalling and these ill-educated stall tactics have wasted time and money on a project that the majority have spoken and voted in favor of. Every question asked is answered by professional environmental, structural, and geotechnical engineers every single day in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. Investigative borings have already been conducted in many locations, soil samples have already been collected and there are literally at least 20 large scale construction sites active right now in the rainy season. The Puget Sound Regional Archives retain building plans for every house in West Seattle (and beyond), including any permitted improvements going all the way back before man could remember, the early 20th century.

Mcat February 6, 2024 (5:51 pm)

We needed light rail connecting West Seattle ten years ago! I am so excited for this light rail expansion.

MJS February 6, 2024 (7:41 pm)

I believe that the photo rendering is of a previous plan which would have taken out homes between Delridge and 26th Avenue Southwest and from Dakota to Genesee. The latest plan is to have it two blocks north.

Mike February 7, 2024 (9:20 am)

Expect more major delays and major cost increases. Wish this money had been spent on improved mass transit. How the heck are most of us gonna get to these stations? Crazy.

Alki resident February 6, 2024 (9:55 pm)

There will be too much loss of homes and businesses to have light rail in West Seattle. It would destroy the natural beauty of our community and it’ll put people at risk for violence. It’s already been proven at the SeaTac rail and Beacon Hill rail. The cost of this quote will turn into something way more as well. People will lose their entire block which means people will be uprooted, friendships will be torn apart and home owners will lose the home they planned on living in forever. Our friends is just one family that’ll have to give up their home as they watch their whole block demolished. Horrible idea

Oakley34 February 6, 2024 (10:16 pm)

Light rail, yes please, as voted for. Max out the stations. Build for the future

Jeff February 7, 2024 (8:03 am)

This 100%. It’s wild to me that people want to be anti-democratic re: light rail. WE VOTED ON IT! Get to work!
- WSEnvironmentalist February 7, 2024 (9:12 pm)
  
  What “we” voted for originally is not what Light Rail is or will cost. When do you think the WS link will begin construction? How much of the current $71 B will remain in the budget when construction finally begins around 2028 – 2030? ST4 is in the pipeline no matter how much ST protests that it is not. How much is ST going to have to pay for the right of way? A $50,000 payout to one small business in Jefferson Square does not even register on the total real estate expense meter. What about the homes and land that will be effected by imminent domain? Lawsuits will ensue. If WS Light Rail becomes a reality, it will cost billions more than what we originally voted for and it might be completed around 2035 – 2038. A majority of King, Pierce and Snohomish counties will have to agree by majority vote to tax all residents for both the Ballard and West Seattle extensions. Good luck. Oh, and don’t forget the EPA. It will take years for the EPA to consider and maybe agree to construction over the Duwamish. Everyone should be aware the federal requirements for disrupting a Super Fund site. Can’t get from South Seattle to West Seattle without a bridge and a new bridge will disrupt the mitigation applied to the Duwamish Superfund site that was completed in 2002. The reason we have the current West Seattle Bridge is because it was built in 1984 – before the Duwamish was designated a Superfund site.
  - Jort February 7, 2024 (10:05 pm)
    
    Wow! That’s a lot of “WILL” statements (‘it WILL take years’ … ‘lawsuits WILL ensue’ … ‘it WILL cost billions’ … ‘it WILL disrupt’ the superfund site). Interesting, can you let us know how you have been able to divine with such absolute and unwavering certainty these undisputed outcomes in the future? Not just predicting the future but saying with total certainty what WILL happen?! That’s a pretty valuable skill to have, I’m surprised to see it utilized in this rather pedestrian blog comment section about a light rail feedback meeting! Maybe you should apply that certainty to a stock investment or something! Impressive! You WILL be rich!

maybe February 7, 2024 (5:49 am)

Waste of money. It does not seem from reading that it is going to be much faster versus the bus. Especially when one has to transfer from bus to light rail.

Jethro Marx February 7, 2024 (10:09 am)

I’m really enjoying the span of utterly nonsensical hysterics here, from “This’ll fix climate change!” to “Arrgh, friendships will be TORN ASUNDER!” Oh and awesome that we gave ST a heads-up that they may want to take a soil sample. What would engineers do without our comments section?

WS Res February 7, 2024 (11:04 am)

The armchair engineers need something to keep them busy now that the West Seattle Bridge is repaired and they can’t spend their time explaining how it could have been done faster.
k February 7, 2024 (2:21 pm)

I can’t believe we made it to 30+ comments and no one has brought up the gondola. Good job, West Seattle!
- Yes Please! February 7, 2024 (4:54 pm)
  
  sooooo want an OHSU-like aerial tramway. Joyous way to commute!

Scarlett February 8, 2024 (7:02 am)

If you’re an environmentalist with above average concerns about dumping CO2 into the atmosphere, you proponents might want to consider to detrimental effects of 10 years of light rail construction. You want to consider how long it will be, likely decades, before we we see any net positive benefit, slight as that will likely be. Step back, reflect on the enormous cost, disruption, dislocation and environmental impact to implement a short segment of light rail that is currently wonderfully served by bus transit. Do you really think this is the solution for West Seattle? Really?