Carpools and bus riders would benefit from the completion of the HOV system and other improvements on State Route 520 from Medina to Redmond, according to an environmental assessment released Thursday by the Washington State Department of Transportation.
The SR 520 Eastside Transit and HOV Project aims to improve transit and HOV travel times in rapidly growing areas along the SR 520 corridor east of Lake Washington. About 115,000 vehicles use the corridor each day, and with population and job growth, traffic in the corridor is estimated to increase up to 18 percent by 2030. Travel times for carpools and buses could stretch an additional 15-39 minutes if nothing is built.
“By building this project, traffic models show buses and carpools would see travel times in 2030 improve by up to 45 minutes during the westbound evening commute,” said SR 520 program director Julie Meredith. “Our engineering and environmental experts have completed analysis on a broad range of project effects including traffic, the environment, noise and construction. Now we need the public to tell us their views about the project and our analysis.”
The environmental analysis shows how the project would affect the environment and communities, including Bellevue, Kirkland, Medina, Clyde Hill, Hunts Point, Yarrow Point and Redmond. WSDOT and the Federal Highways Administration are completing the necessary environmental documentation in order to proceed with construction.
The Eastside project is one of four projects under way to improve safety and mobility by replacing the vulnerable SR 520 floating bridge and adding an HOV lane to the corridor. Construction on the Eastside could begin in late 2010 pending available funding. WSDOT recently submitted an application for federal stimulus funds to help pay for the project. A decision is expected from the U.S. Department of Transportation in February 2010.
The publication of the environmental assessment launches a public review and comment period. There are several ways to review or comment on the environmental assessment:
Attend a public hearing and open house from 5–7 p.m., Dec. 16, at Chinook Middle School, 2001 98th Ave. NE, Bellevue.
View documents and comment online at the SR 520 Web page.
E-mail comments to sr520eastside_ea@wsdot.wa.gov.
Mail comments to Bill Blaylock, EA Environmental Manager, 600 Stewart St., Suite 520, Seattle, WA 98101.
Visit local libraries in Bellevue and other locations to review the document.
Call the project office at 206-770-3500 to request a free CD and executive summary or to purchase a printed copy of the report.
All comments are due by Jan. 7, 2010.
The $776 million Eastside project includes several safety and transit reliability improvements, as well as other environmental benefits, including:
Completing the HOV system from Medina to Redmond.
Making it safer and faster for bus riders by moving the HOV lane to the inside and creating median transit stops.
Building a regional bicycle and pedestrian path.
Constructing wider, safer freeway shoulders.
Improving water quality by treating stormwater before it enters local streams and creeks.
Reconnecting communities and providing open space with landscaped lids over the freeway.
Reducing traffic noise by constructing noise walls on both sides of SR 520 from Evergreen Point Road to Bellevue Way.
Reducing and eliminating barriers for migrating fish.
Visit the SR 520 program Web page for more information about the Eastside Transit and HOV Project.
