The city of Mercer Island had originally planned its light rail open house on Jan. 19 as an opportunity to gather public opinion on commuter parking and station access. That input will still be solicited, but has been rescheduled until February 2017.

Instead, the open house has been reorganized into a Listening Session with the new City Manager Julie Underwood, who would like to hear first-hand from residents their concerns over light rail construction, the potential loss of I-90 access ramps, and negotiations with Sound Transit and other relevant agencies. Next week, she intends to take this first-hand feedback to a major “principals meeting” of all agencies involved in the I-90 access and rail negotiations.

The meeting will still occur, as planned, at the MI Community and Event Center, from 6:30-8:30 p.m., on Thursday, Jan. 19.

For more information about future vehicle access to I-90 (the “R8A Lanes”), visit www.mercergov.org/R8A. To read more about Sound Transit light rail plans in general, visit www.mercergov.org/Rail.