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Millions of dollars were allocated in Sound Transit 3 to study a link light rail connection between Renton, Tukwila, and West Seattle. The study must be prioritized. Photo credit: Sound Transit
As I’ve covered in previous blog entries, Renton taxpayers have paid between 1-2 billion dollars for Sound Transit, and have received very little benefit.
When Sound Transit 3 (ST3) was approved by voters, it included several million dollars for a planning study of a light rail connection to Renton. Renton must continue to push for this study to be completed, to ensure we are not left out of link light rail if a Sound Transit 4 is proposed in the future.
Many transit insiders believe there will be an ST4 proposed within a few years, as Sound Transit 3 funding isn’t covering all of the ST3 commitments, with one of the latest challenges being the quantity and cost of new trains. While the Sound Transit Board has a fiduciary duty to deliver as best they can with the funds they are allocated (making necessary compromises to design, operating frequency, implementation schedule, etc), the public could bring forward a new proposed ST4 bond issue to resolve these issues and enhance this service at any time. The last I heard, the buzz was that it may happen between 2024-2026.
We must have a Renton Link Light Rail connection in any future ballot proposals. I worked hard along with Renton’s Mayor and several council colleagues to get the Renton study into Sound Transit 3, and we then worked to jump-start the study by hiring a consultant to help us identify potential station locations and potential alignments. We now need for Sound Transit to take this good work, and finish the job.
According to approved ST3 Documents, :
“The planning studies would help to identify the range of alternatives, evaluate potential routes and station locations and terminals, inform local
comprehensive planning, prepare for formal environmental review and engineering, and position the Sound Transit Board to evaluate options and
establish priorities for implementation in future phases of high capacity transit investments in the region. The studies will include public outreach,
preliminary environmental assessment, ridership forecasting, and conceptual engineering and cost estimating.
The studies include:
HCT Study: Light Rail Extending from West Seattle to Burien, connecting to Renton via Tukwila
This study would examine a light rail extension from West Seattle to Renton via Burien and Tukwila. The study would be completed in
coordination with local transit partners to examine a variety of options for service provision and to maximize opportunities for regional
integration.”
The Issaquah-Kirkland line is an example of a completed study. It includes 4 new stations and was funded with Sound Transit 3.
Part of the approved (and funded) plan for a Kirkland to Issaquah line
It’s way past time for Renton to get on the Sound Transit Link Light Rail long-term plan. Unfortunately there are Seattle-based transit interests that don’t think Renton deserves a light rail line and they still want our tax money. Renton officials must push back against these opinions. For example, prior to ST3, the popular Seattle Transit Blog published an article which said:
‘The “tell” of excess focus on new regional connections is the heavy emphasis on the east-west Burien/Renton corridor. To put it mildly, this is not a corridor where existing demand suggests a need for true high-capacity transit.’
Renton officials must be firm advocates for Renton when working with Sound Transit, so that Renton taxpayers do not spend many more billions of dollars while receiving very little benefit.
Part of the ST3 commitment to voters. Source: Sound Transit
Sound Transit’s 2023 Progress report does not include any discussion of these planning studies.
Randy Corman testifying to the Sound Transit Board in 2016. One of the board’s commitments was the study of a Renton-Tukwila light rail connection. The full story is here.
More Sound Transit 3 documents and reports can be found here.
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