After an intense discussion, Bellevue city council voted to take a stand on the looming Sound Transit 3 package.
The item was on the Monday, Sept. 12 agenda in response to other local councils and Bellevue business associations choosing to either endorse or disavow the $53.8 billion transportation package.
While the councilmembers hold differing views on the necessity and wisdom of the package, many of them thought it would be a good opportunity to express their opinions.
Councilmember Jennifer Robertson was the sole dissenting vote, claiming that the inevitable hours of debate on the issue would not only not clear up the views of the council to voters, but also that it simply wasn’t the council’s role to take a set opinion on a regional issue.
She argued it would more fitting and ultimately more effective for Bellevue council to take an official stance on the two ballot measures (one for fire facilities, one for transportation improvement) coming on November for Bellevue voters.
Councilmember John Chelminiak disagreed, saying the council should have an opportunity to take a stand on an important issue.
A significant portion of Sound Transit 3’s plans would affect Bellevue as a transit hub of the Eastside.
Sound Transit proposes a light rail line from South Kirkland Park and Ride to Central Issaquah in the plan. It would connect with the already-planned spur coming from Redmond and have stops in Downtown Bellevue (part of Sound Transit 2), Richards Road, Eastgate near Bellevue College, a provisional stop in the Lakemont area and finishing in Central Issaquah. The provisional station would not be built in Sound Transit 3, instead requiring additional funds.
This 11.75 mile line would cost between $1.76 and $1.88 billion to complete by 2041. Sound Transit estimates it would add anywhere between 12,000 and 15,000 daily riders with an additional $28 million yearly operations and maintenance cost. From end to end, Sound Transit estimates the line would take 23 minutes and would have high reliability.
Bellevue is also centered in a major Interstate-405 Bus Rapid Transit proposal, where buses would leave northward from the Lynnwood Transit Center down I-405 through Bothell, Kirkland, Bellevue, Renton, Tukwila and into Burien. The 38-mile route would use eight existing stations and add three more at a cost of between $812 and $869 million. Sound Transit estimates that between 15,000 and 18,000 daily riders would take the bus rapid transit at 87 minutes transit time from end-to-end.
The council will have opportunity to discuss, debate and ultimately decide whether it supports or opposes the measure sometime in the next two months.
