State Route 520 is ready for light rail, but light rail isn’t ready for 520.
Those were the words of Gov. Christine Gregoire Thursday as she and a group of state transportation leaders unveiled the state’s preferred alternative for replacing the 520 bridge.
Gregoire said the state has done its best to answer concerns from Seattle neighborhood groups and Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, who want to limit impacts of the project and pave the way for future rapid-transit plans along the corridor.
There’s no telling how much it would cost to place light rail on the bridge, but the governor emphasized that the state isn’t responsible for addressing that issue.
“We don’t fund light rail,” she said. “That’s not the state, that’s Sound Transit. They don’t have a plan, they don’t have any funding, so it’s up to them to come up with a plan and funding for the future.”
The state’s preferred plan would make the new six-lane bridge compatible with light rail, but not without taking over the new HOV lanes or widening the bridge and adding more pontoons.
Key features of the preferred plan include:
* Measures to reduce width and noise from the Portage Bay Bridge
* Removing the existing ramps in the Arboretum
* Height reduction of the west approach bridge compared to initial plans
* Raising the profile of 520 over Foster Island to improve the pedestrian connection and avoid unnecessary environmental impacts
* Direct HOV and transit access ramps at Montlake Boulevard to that can accommodate future light rail
* A 45-foot space between the west approach bridges for a future light-rail connection to the proposed University Link station.
Gregoire acknowledged that the plan isn’t likely to make everyone happy.
“It’s time for a decision,” she said. “While I would love to come up with an alternative where everyone is ecstatic, that is not possible. We respectfully listened to all the comments and did everything we could to address the comments that were made.”
Sen. Rodney Tom of Bellevue, co-chair of a special legislative committee the governor organized to address 520 planning, lauded the state’s preferred alternative.
“It makes a big difference to us on the Eastside being able to make sure that we have that strong connection with Seattle,” he said. “We really are a region now.
“It’s important that we have functioning corridors so that we can not only move people but freight.”
The state’s preferred plan is expected to fall within the $4.6 billion budget for replacing the 520 bridge.
Coming up with that money is another issue, as the state is still about $2 billion short.
Some of the funds will come from tolling on 520, which is due to begin in 2011, and possibly by charging solo drivers to use HOV lanes on I-90.
Gregoire also promised to be aggressive in pursuing federal funding, which the state missed out on last year because it didn’t have a final plan in place for the bridge.
“Next time a federal TIGER grant comes along, we’ll be able to say – unlike last time – we’re ready,” she said.
Seattle City Council member Tom Rasmussen supports the state’s preferred alternative. He is chair of the city’s transportation committee.
McGinn was expected to make a statement about the plan Thursday afternoon.
