The Seattle Monorail survived another recall petition in the fall
elections. Negotiations continue with the construction company, with
construction expected to commence next spring. Some preplanning has begun for
new routes for the future. Finally, the original Seattle Monorail has reopened
after a major fire this last summer.
Civil construction has commenced on the line in several places.
The Operations and Maintenance Base and the guideway to and from it are making
good progress. Construction has also commenced in the Rainier Valley and SoDo
area. Preparations are underway to convert the bus tunnel to run both buses and
light rail. Furthermore, Sound Transit has just announced plans to extend Link
to the airport by December, 2009.
Tacoma Link is still running. No word yet on extensions. With some
free time on my hands I have been downtown on work days and Link is normally
packed full of riders. During the opening of the new Tacoma Convention Center
the trains were all standing room only. I may be attending Tacoma's
First Night; Link
will be running until 1 am that day. I will report how it works out.
This project was not on the Fall ballot. However, interest is
still high in this project. In fact, Sound Transit is designing projects for
their Phase 2, and they are considering monorail for the Eastside.
The Millennium Line is open and operational. Work on the Vancouver
Community College station (end of the new line) is underway. Planning is
underway on both the Port Coquitlam line and the Richmond-Airport-Vancouver
line, to be opened by the 2010 Winter Olympics.
The new Interstate line has been up and running since this summer.
Work continues on planning the I-205 extension, as well as extensions to the
trolley system.
The bridge project continues along. The towers are now almost
level with the road deck of the original bridge. The toll plaza has also made a
lot of progress. The bridge is well on the way to beginning spinning cables by
next summer.
Several of the new direct HOV access ramps have been completed with a
couple others well underway. I am working on another possible site to cover a
few major projects around here; mainly because the end of I-90 is here as well
as the world's longest floating bridge, among other things.
Sound Transit is working on their Phase 2 plans, which include more
Sounder service, Link extensions and possible new lines. It would appear a lot
of this work will focus on where there are MAJOR traffic problems and where
most of the new jobs are - the Eastside of King County.
The State
The Washington economy is still not great. I was laid off this past
summer and have yet to find another job. Some recent studies have even said
that traffic is better than it had been, primarily due to less people working,
and therefore commuting. The attitude in the state towards new taxes and fees
for funding projects is still fairly frigid. The fall election was supposed to
have included regional taxing districts for funding major transporation
projects, yet it was not put on the ballot due to surveys showing some
resistance to any fees for new projects.
How much this will all affect current and new projects is unknown. There
is a push in Seattle to attract biotech companies, and most of the planned or
under construction projects are BADLY needed even if there are no new jobs
added to the area. I personally think that Tacoma could clean up if they market
themselves well. With less traffic, cheaper rents and housing, a fully fibered
city, trendy clubs and restuarants and a working (if short) light rail system,
they have a lot more to offer than most cities in the Northwest.
Future Site Updates
These are things I hope to add to the site in the next couple of months.
Feel free to send me any ideas
or media requests.
Video of a ride on the current Seattle Monorail
Photos of civil construction of Seattle Link
Photos of construction on the Seattle Monorail
Page on the Seattle Transit Tunnel
Video of SkyTrain
Video of Portland MAX
Photos/video of construction of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge
