WHY? West Seattle Ballard Link Extension project Draft Environmental Impact Statement -- or WSBLE DEIS
WHY is it so big? More than 1800 pages? Because this is a big project that will impact transportation in Seattle (and particularly the CID and Pioneer Square) for the next 100 years.
WHY should you care? Transit opens up a wider area of opportunity for our neighborhoods, but the new WSBLE station will bring construction disruptions to Pioneer Square and the Chinatown International District for a decade. We will be living with the operation of the new station for a long time after the construction ends. Decisions that will impact South Downtown for decades are being made now.
There are benefits, opportunities, impacts, and challenges in all the alternatives being discussed. NOW is the time where neighborhood input can affect the outcome of this project.
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How Do I EVEN BEGIN?
First off, you should understand that the West Seattle-Ballard Link Extension (WSBLE) project is actually two separate expansions to the existing system:
- Expansion to West Seattle: SODO (new station) out to West Seattle, connects to the existing train line and eventually will take riders as far as Everett. This project will not bring direct construction impacts to South Downtown, but it will bring more commuters into the neighborhoods.
- Expansion to Ballard: Will create a new downtown train tunnel, and a new station in the CID area. This new line will run north to Ballard and connect to existing tracks that go to Sea-Tac, and eventually allow people to ride all the way to Tacoma.
Once finished, these new lines, plus the Eastlink (opening in 2023), and existing transit systems like the Sounder, streetcar, and buses, combine to make the CID station area the largest transportation hub north of San Francisco.
We know that this is a lot of information -- HSD is here to help you make sense of it. Please visit our Advocacy page for more information.
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Once you understand that we're really talking about two new lines, the next question to focus on is: "where the new station will go?"
Where do you, as a community member, think the station best fits? The location of the stations is how riders and others will interact with the new train lines. It's how we will get onto the platform and on the next train! So the question of where it goes is pretty important -- maybe the most important question to our HSD neighborhoods.
Where the station is located will impact the digging of the new tunnel, who deals with direct construction impacts, who feels vibrations when the trains are running, and how riders move between the street, the station, and other types of transportation.
There are two potential locations: either on 4th Ave or on 5th Ave, both just south of S. Jackson St.
- 4th Avenue Station Alternative entries would be at the east end of the Weller Street Pedestrian Bridge (west side of 4th Ave) and in the south end of Union Station (east side of 4th Ave).
- 5th Avenue Station Alternative entries would be at the southwest corner of King St and 5th Ave, so just west of the Chinatown Gate at the current location of Joe’s Bar.
If you want to dive deeper, the Station Planning Report may be a good way to understand the alternatives (this will help explain the shallow and deep tunnels you've heard about). You can also find links to the community advisory group meeting recordings on our website, to learn by watching.
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Each different station idea has impacts to our neighborhoods, and we have until April 28th, 2022 to comment on these impacts. Every comment counts!
HSD is here to help. Please check out our website to find great resources. Share this email. Follow us on social media. Send us questions.
Advocacy | HSD (historicsouthdowntown.org)
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NO final decisions about where the tunnel and station will be located have been made yet. Your comments count.
We'll be sending weekly emails throughout the comment period.
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