Sound Transit to narrow alternatives to light rail along I-5 to Lynnwood

This Thursday, December 15, 2011, the Sound Transit Board of Directors will consider a motion to narrow the range of North Corridor Transit Project alternatives to light rail along Interstate 5 between Northgate and Lynnwood.

The North Corridor Transit Project is part of the Sound Transit 2 Plan approved by voters in 2008. This action follows completion of a recent Alternatives Analysis and public comment on results during environmental scoping in October 2011. Environmental “scoping” provided an opportunity for the public and agencies to learn about and provide comments on the project at the start of environmental review, called an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

The motion identifies the alternatives to be examined in the project’s EIS and excludes from further study other worse performing and less promising alternatives. The Alternatives Analysis concluded that extending light rail generally along the I-5 corridor would have the greatest benefits, and that bus rapid transit alternatives and light rail alternatives in other corridors such as SR 99, 15th Avenue NE or Lake City Way would have fewer benefits and/or higher costs.

A summary of environmental scoping input and analysis to date is on the project website.