Analysis of Sound Transit’s East King County Technology Report
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5.0 Insufficient Attention Paid to 520 Route
It is important to consider a wide range of options when creating a long range transportation plan. So far in this process a key option has been left out of detailed studies and comparisons: routes connecting Seattle to the eastside across highway 520. A 520 route has several unique opportunities. First, it allows rapid transit to be properly designed and integrated into a new 520 bridge from the beginning, versus the time, retrofit cost, and lost freeway lanes that will occur in an I-90 route. Second, crossing the lake at 520 would provide eastside residents better, quicker access to the University of Washington and would ensure a high-capacity transit link to the campus without a dependency on the unfunded North Link project.
While previous studies have indicated a lower ridership for 520 routes, to our knowledge no study has considered a route that provides a directly connects downtown Bellevue, the UW, and downtown Seattle. It is very important that such an option be properly weighed against the equivalent I-90 route.
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