Essential Elements of the SR 520 Alternative “A”

9/15/09

SR 520’s “A“  Option is Transit Friendly, Environmentally Sensitive, and AFFORDABLE

 

TRANSIT FRIENDLY-Alternative “A” favors, and is designed to increase the use of Transit/HOVs on the new SR 520 center lanes.  Transit easily connects to the new U of W Sound Transit Station, and improves SR 520 eastside transit services to and from the area, and for city riders from north and south of the ship canal.  “A” promotes a Corridor Management Agreement for improved pubic accountability and to oversee future 520 performance by Agreement between public and private representatives.  With regular monitoring of 520’s overall performance, it will promote improvements if needed.  It will keep 520, in the future, a good neighbor and a sustainable transportation asset, for all the modes and the communities, thru which it passes.

A.)“A” IS THE ONLY 520 DESIGN THAT SHIFTS PEOPLE FROM AUTOS TO RELIABLE TRANSIT SERVICE!

1. Transit/HOV only service exit ramp on 520 west-bound, to Montlake Blvd. E.  The ramp speeds the 45 new METRO buses with10 minute BRT service at peaks, and an easy right turn onto northbound Montlake Blvd. to reach the Sound Transit station transfer point.  Bus control of the lights will provide preferential bus movement at the intersection.  “A” supporters are promoting a small share of 520 Tolls for transit, as allowed under state law.

2.  A Bus-Only lane on eastbound NE Pacific St. allows easy right turn to the SR 520 Bus/HOV eastbound ramp.

(Removed by “K” and “L”.)

3. “A” has street level Bus Stops on Montlake Blvd. for transfers by transit riders, which bus drivers prefer.

 

4. Transit activated traffic lights, if needed.  “A” adds space for buses on the new parallel 3-lane Montlake Bridges,

    and will speed and improve all bus routes reliability.  (Bridges do not open at peak hours and have few openings

    in winter.) “A’s” new parallel three-lane Montlake Bridge, from the 2006 SR 520 DEIS, may take two homes.

Comments: “K” and ”L” proposed designs put transit into mixed Traffic and include steep grades with slow or

LOS F traffic at  Tunnel entrance and exit and on the” L”  Bridge, when transit enters or exits from the 20’ underground Montlake NE/Pacific St NE. Interchange.

“K” and the ” L”  designs and Interchanges remove the southbound curb Bus/HOV lane by University Hospital.

 

B.) ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE-Alternative “A” is the most respectful of the U of W Campus, Hospital, Seattle Parks and includes new connecting Trails connecting 520 Lids,  restores the historic Arboretum-(our “Central Park”) and the unique Union Bay Area Wetlands, some of the last 1st class wetlands on Lake Washington.

 

1, The Arboretum-“A” takes out the “ramps to nowhere” and the Arboretum east/west ramps, allowing for restoration of the “Olmsted Plan” and return to Arboretum use.  It ends the direct access for vehicles from Lake Washington Blvd. to and from 520.  This reduces traffic to half of what’s predicted in 2030 on the “K” and “L” options.  “

K” and “L” keep the Arboretum SR 520 Arboretum on and off ramps, in some form.

   Comments: “K’s” “Keyhole” replaces the Montlake ramps and adds a new Single Point Urban Interchange 

   and Tunnel Portal in 2 parks.  “L” also uses most of McCurdy and East Montlake park lands. The “L” bridge’s

   south-side pylon approach has visual & roadside noise impacts.  When the ”L’s” long new, diagonal bascule

   bridge is raised, it may encroach on the U of W’s Olmsted designed Mt. Rainier ”View Shed”.  Both “K” and “L”

   increase traffic significantly on Lake Washington Boulevard through the Arboretum.

 

2. “A” keeps the U of W Campus intact from construction impacts, except for the north footings for the new parallel

 3-lane Montlake Bridge. It does not need to widen arterials thru Campus, on Montlake Blvd. NE and/or NE Pacific St., or cut through the south Campus parking lot- a potential future building site, or disrupt the Waterfront Activities Center and the “Historic” Canoe House.  “A” has no north-of-the-ship-canal deep, large trench is used under the Montlake Blvd.NE /Pacific St NE intersection, for entering or exiting SR 520, as in the “K” and “L” Options.

 

3. Parks-“A” retains and restores most of McCurdy/East Montlake Park, adds a new landscaped area, and a natural-looking 520 storm-water collection pond.  “A” landscapes the McCurdy Park current parking area.  Prior to 520 this area was wetlands.  It adds a green landscaped Lid over SR 520 adjacent to McCurdy park that reduces noise and adds connecting paths to the Arboretum by Lake Washington Boulevard.

Comments:“K” and  “L” occupy most of the two Parks with highway structures, a major Federal Highway “4f” taking issue (take no parks for highways, unless no other alternative.(1964Overton Park Decision).

         “K” and ”L” increase auto traffic.  Lake Washington Blvd. becomes a “de-facto” state access road, as the only

         entrance and exit to 520, south of the ship Canal, in the Montlake area.

4. LAKE UNION WETLANDS-“A” disturbs the wetlands only as required for the construction of the SR520 6-lane

    Bridge.  It excavates only for the new mainline road foundation.  It has the narrowest width between Foster

    and Marsh Islands.

         Comments:  Option “K” excavates over 57,000 truckloads of soil, builds deep coffer dams, constructs a

         Football field-sized concrete platform that displaces the fragile peat subsoil and the ecosystem.  Counting

         access lanes, the structure is equivalent to about 14 lanes wide.

Option ” L” impacts the wetlands substantially with its approaches, Interchanges and greater width by Marsh Island, more than the 14 lane wide “K” design.

 

5. GREENHOUSE GASES-Sited at the natural crossroads of the Montlake “isthmus, the “A” route for vehicles, is the

    most efficient, with the fewest changes of grade.  It generates the least greenhouse gases by emphasizing  

    Transit and Tolling.  “A” seeks to meet state laws for reducing VMT and CO2 pollution.. “K” has 37% more

    vehicles per hour across the Montlake “Cut’, which directly correlates with increased VMT. 

 

Comment: Both “K” and “L” detour westbound traffic from Montlake Blvd. easterly to new interchanges to reach the 520 mainline.  Both “K” and “L” funnel at least 4200 more vehicles at the peak hour through the 20’ lower intersection under NE Pacifc St. at Montlake Blvd , East, by U o W Stadium/University Hospital.  They use left turning signals, to go south on Montlake Blvd.  Both “K” &”L” put increased traffic on arterial streets entering or exiting in a 20’ below street level intersection that surfaces south or north of the Montlake Bridge.  Both increase the arterial congestion that today is at LOS F at peak hours.  In addition, south of the cut and on Arboretum land, “K”  routes vehicles, using Washington Park Blvd. into a hairpin “Keyhole” traffic ”queuing” extension that has steep grades down into and up from a 1500’ long, 150’ wide, 4 lane tunnel, (Design rumored to be in revision) 

 

C. MOTORING/TRAFFIC “A ”will move all types of traffic on all ramps efficiently.  It is located at the natural cross-roads.  Therefore “A” has the shortest overall distances and easiest “way-finding”.  It has the least grades and the most open air vistas.  According to WSDOT, a short, auxiliary west “merge” lane, on part of the Portage Bay Bridge functions well.  With improved signage and channelization of lanes, from the north to westbound Portage Bay ramp,  improves the safety of westbound entering 520 vehicles.  Travel times of all of the design options are comparable in this area.  The new parallel Montlake Bridge eases the current bottleneck.  Currently there are six arterial lanes on the south, and seven lanes on the north that converge on a four-lane Montlake bridge. 

Comment: Option “L” will require longer openings and wait times when the new diagonal bridge and old one are    up, to allow adequate time for a boat passage.  Coast Guard objects to long gap between the two bridges.

Option “K” confronts all motorists, buses and trucks with its fast transition from daylight to tunnel, tight curves, limited sight distances, steep 8+% grades and risks of icing in winter weather, tunnel support columns and long stop lights in the 20’deep lidded interchange under Montlake Blvd/NE Pacific city arterials.

 

D. “A” IS AFFORDABLE, WITHIN BUDGET LIMIT, IF IT IS ON TIME-“A’ has an estimated cost of $4.53 Billion.  It is the only 520 Alternative within the 2009 Legislature’s project cost limit.  “K,” at an estimated $6.754 Billion is more than Two Billion over budget.  “L” is about $400 million over the limit.  Keeping to the SR 520 2016 project Opening Schedule will save money, and keep SR 520 costs down.  Deciding on the West-side design now is very important.  If not decided, early start of Tolling in 2010 will be delayed.  The current allocated State and Federal funds for SR 520 is projected at $1.994 Billion.  It lacks another $2.654 Billion for completing the $4.65 Billion SR 520 project.  Revenue shortfalls may delete important mitigation and 520 indecision and delays, will only increase overall costs. 

 

E. “A’s” SUPPORTERS ” “A” has active support from most Northeast Seattle neighborhoods, and the supporters include: Ravenna/Bryant Community Association, University Park, University District Community Association, Hawthorne Hills, Belvedere Terrace, Windermere North, and the Eastlake Community Councils.  

*The 46th District Democrats updated a 2006 SR 520 Resolution to support SR 520’s “A” west- side design on

                                              August 20th 2009.

*Eastside City Mayors-----    Bellevue-       Grant Degginger, “A” Support Letter in 12/09 Project Impact Plan

                                             Clyde Hill-      George Martin 

                                             Kirkland-        James Lauinger

                                             Medina-         Mark Nelson

                                             Yarrow Point- David Cooper                                                  File:SR 520A Elements91509.doc.