Bellevue councilmembers want the city and Sound Transit to get more creative with their timeline for traffic closures ahead of East Link light rail construction, particularly along Bellevue Way when the South Bellevue Park and Ride closes for up to five years.
The park and ride will have to close for Sound Transit to construct a new, elevated light rail station and adjacent parking garage, but Deputy Mayor Kevin Wallace said he found it hard to believe the closure could last 48-60 months, starting either in early 2015 or late 2016.
City Transportation Director Dave Berg cautioned the council on Sept. 22 the city and Sound Transit’s traffic closure plan is still tentative and subject to change. The park and ride also serves as a staging area for constructing the rail alignment that connects to I-90 and travels down Bellevue Way before turning east on 112th Avenue Southeast.
Along with closure of the park and ride, Bellevue Way is currently planned to be reduced to one lane in each direction for 36-48 months, but remain at two lanes each way during peak traffic times, said Maher Welaye, East Link engineering manager for the city. Full weekend daytime closures to allow Puget Sound Energy to underground utilities there is expected to last 12-15 weeks.
“This solution sounds very Sound Transit staff-like in its rigidity and single-mindedness and I think that some additional creativity might be in order,” Wallace said. “It’s hard for me to believe that we need to shut the whole facility down, with no bus access, for four years, and I think what you’re hearing here is this is going to be a major impact.”
Wallace added King County Metro Route 550 — Seattle to Bellevue — is critical to commuters getting into the city and downtown.
Kate March, East Link community outreach coordinator for the city, said Sound Transit and the city have long been providing quarterly reports to residents in the Surrey Downs neighborhood, and community engagement regarding the park and ride’s closure have already started. It will be through this engagement with residents, Sound Transit and Metro that an interim bus service plan is formed, including continuation of Route 550.
Mayor Claudia Balducci said interim bus stops near the park and ride likely won’t reach all commuters who will be put out by the facility’s closure, and it will take “all the tricks” the city can think of to maintain transit connectivity during East Link construction.
