Residents along the proposed light rail line turned out in droves Monday night for what many perceived to be their last opportunity to voice the need for neighborhood protection.
Their comments came as the Bellevue City Council held a public hearing on cost savings for the project.
“The ramifications of this decision are very serious and will be felt for a hundred years till the East Link operates, long after you may be all gone from public life,” said Arjun Sirohi in a questionnaire addressed to members of the Bellevue City Council, requesting that they heed neighborhood concern.
Of the 26 individuals who spoke, many worried aloud that missteps made on the Central Link line in Seattle would be replicated in East Link.
Sirohi, who helped organize a presentation on behalf of his Surrey Downs neighborhood, said this was the last line of defense before the project moved from the blueprint stage to construction. He cited concern after last week’s recommendation by the Steering Committee for the road-over rail option with SE 4th open.
Using City Council minutes showing early support for grade-separation, and newspaper archives from Rainier Valley, neighbors almost unanimously argued for a trench along 112th and parts of Bellevue Way. Opinion differed on the placement of the downtown tunnel station, whether it be above or below ground.
“This added cost is a small burden to be borne by all of our city taxpayers. This economic cost pales in comparison to the many tens of millions in lost property value hundreds of families will incur due to the excessive train noise that will bathe the homes all day and all night long forever into the future,” said Joe Rosmann of Building a Better Bellevue. “This is the disaster you told citizens they would never have to incur as you promised extraordinary mitigation. Trenches are that extraordinary mitigation.”
A trench along 112th would amount to a $6-11 million increase, though neighbors agreed the added cost was worth it, given the sound mitigation, improved safety and greater preservation of property values that would follow. A trench, said Sirohi, offered the highest ridership (51,500 compared to 51,000 for at-grade), shortest travel time (10 minutes as opposed to 11), lesser vibration and noise, and the better of two impacts on Surrey Downs Parkland (0.6 acres compared to 1.4 lost to at-grade).
Neighbors said that while sentiment has shifted, the original Memorandum of Understanding explicitly called for an under-crossing buoyed by council support. They also pointed to an alarming rate of accidents along Central Link’s alignment — stories of individuals suffering life-threatening injuries after being struck, of trains derailing in Seattle and accounts of vehicle collisions. Rail-grade crossing collisions, affirmed neighbors, citing FTA reports, produce the highest number accidents each year – 54 percent.
The council has spent the less several weeks in study sessions, assessing the additional noise impact of above-ground bells and whistles used to notify vehicles and pedestrians of an approaching train. Designed to be audible, early estimates place them at 72-80 decibels, depending on the hour of the day. Residents of Enatai and Surrey Downs noted the absence of such devices presented yet another argument in favor of the trench.
The council will make a decision on cost savings options next Monday, April 22. Sound Transit will make a final decision at its meeting April 25. For full commentary, visit the city’s website and video feed of the public hearing here.
