The Seattle area has studied ideas to replace the SR-520 floating bridge for years and finally settled on a transit-friendly plan that would shape the community's growth for decades to come. Now it's time to act.
The plan would build a six-lane bridge (including HOV lanes and a bike path) and a new interchange linking with arterials at the University of Washington -- adjacent to Husky Stadium and a future light rail station. It would allow easy transfers from Seattle's rail line to buses that would connect to the Eastside much faster than cars. It would help tie the Seattle area together in the way that transit projects already have in Portland and Vancouver.
Unfortunately Seattle mayor Greg Nickels proposed more study of the projects environmental impacts on the UW's arboretum. Now neighboring community groups want to block the project. No one who actually uses 520 regularly or who truly favors transit-oriented development in the region would allow this.
There are ways to trim the new bridge's impact on the Arboretum and Portage Bay, and there are ways to connect a wider bridge to I-5 without harming the neighborhood around that interchange. Why not make the I-5 express lanes permanently two-way transit lanes and link directly to the new 520 transit lanes? For the sake of the region's future, it's time to act.
Ah the 520... It strikes traffic fears for many of us who travel to the Eastside for jobs (Microsoft anyone) but could not conceive of living over there in suburban wasteland. I'm especially excited about the new bike lane this plan will introduce. Considering the very flexible schedule and the quasi universal availibility of showers at the workplace for eastside tech workers doing the commute, I would not be surprised if many people took that option. I say put shovels on ground dammit and stop wasting more money on "studies"!
Is there a larger "reverse commute" than regular commute on the 520? Inquiring minds want to know.
Posted by: vincent | October 08, 2006 at 08:58