Here are highlights from Seattle City Council Transportation Committee’s meeting, which was held on Sept. 29. (You can also watch the meeting on the Seattle Channel.)
Council Bill 116688: Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement
The council approved Bill 116688, which authorizes the execution of a memorandum of agreement between Washington State and the City of Seattle regarding the Alaskan Way Viaduct and seawall replacement project. The agreement—which indicates the city’s support for the bored tunnel alternative as part of the Alaskan Way Viaduct and seawall replacement program—is headed for full council, possibly as early as Monday.
The agreement describes the projects that form the bored tunnel alternative, establishes a roadmap for future more detailed agreements between the city and the state for implementation of the bored tunnel projects, and indicates a current cost estimate for each project and jurisdictional responsibility for project funding (subject to future interagency agreements and council decisions).
“We have been working on a solution for over a year, and finally arrived at a decision in January 2009,” councilmember Jan Drago said, noting the letter of agreement that was signed by the city, the county and the state on Jan. 13. Since then, the city has passed three additional memoranda of agreement. “It is not the first, nor will it be the last, in a long series of agreements over a number of years,” she said.
She noted that it is important to recognize the agreement is one of “policy and concept”—the financial piece of the agreement will be presented to the city council on Friday as part of the budget process.
Councilmember Nick Licata abstained from the vote because he was concerned about the details of several city improvements listed in the agreement. “I feel that there are a lot of unknowns we haven’t covered,” he said. “I’m not sure all the pieces fit in this puzzle.”
(On Friday Licata expressed concern about the city’s financial obligations in the agreement: “Voting two business days after receiving the mayor’s funding proposal falls short of accountability standards we should be setting for ourselves. We have eight weeks to consider the mayor’s budget; the MOA [memorandum of agreement] should grow out of that work, not precede it.”)
The cost of the tunnel—portal to portal—is an estimated $1.9 billion (included in that amount is approximately $400 million set aside for contingency or risk). Including the SR 99 components, the project’s total price tag is $3.1 billion.
Council Bill 116636: Implementation of a First Hill Street Car Connector Project
The Seattle City Council Transportation Committee approved a second streetcar line for the city. The committee approved Bill 116636, authorizing an agreement with the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority for implementation of the First Hill streetcar connector project. The agreement is next headed to full council, possibly as early as Monday (Transportation Committee Chair Jan Drago mentioned she needs to okay changes that have been made with Sound Transit).
The First Hill streetcar is meant to distribute people through Seattle’s dense, urban center. The streetcar replaces the First Hill light rail station, was approved by voters as part of ST2, and has a primary purpose of connecting "light rail trips from the north and the south to the health-care-oriented jobs and services of First Hill,” according to a presentation given to the committee. First Hill is home to three hospitals, two educational institutions and four neighborhood business districts.
Sound Transit is responsible for the financing, operations and maintenance of the streetcar, but the City of Seattle is building the line. Sound Transit will provide up to $132.78 million in capital funding between 2009 and 2014 (Sound Transit will also provide $120 million for construction). The city is responsible for completing the project within funding limits and has the option to reject bids, develop a supplemental funding plan prior to construction or opt out. Sound Transit will fund operations and maintenance of up to $5.2 million annually (in 2007 dollars).
Planned service level is defined as 20 hours per day, with 10-minute peak headways and 15 minutes between off-peak headways. The city is not obligated to operate all of the planned service if the cost of providing service would exceed funds; it can revise the service plan or transfer systems to Sound Transit.
The agreement was unanimously approved by the Sound Transit Executive Board on Sept. 24.
Concept design and city council alignment selection is slated for 2009-2010, preliminary engineering and environmental assessment is scheduled for 2010, final design and utilities work will take place in 2011, and streetcar construction and startup will occur between 2011 and 2013.
