The Dec. 6 Sound Transit email, “Project Update East Link Extension” is their latest attempt to sell light rail to Eastside commuters. Typical of Sound Transit they have the temerity to entitle it, “I-90 Segment Fact Sheet: Mercer Island.” The “facts” include the following purported benefits:

1) Provides access to high quality, frequent transit service that operates 20 hours per day.

2) Approximately 2,000 daily station boardings at Mercer Island (2030).

3) Addresses the city of Mercer Island’s goals to promote mixed-use development at regional transit facilities and improves transit opportunities.

While East Link will likely operate 20 hours per day, Sound Transit’s East Link Extension website video narrative describes it as “providing three or four car trains every eight to 10 minutes;” at best, the equivalent of one 74-seat light rail car every two minutes. While that may seem “frequent” to some, it will have about half the current peak cross-lake bus capacity and a small fraction of the capacity needed to provide the equivalent of 10 lanes of freeway Sound Transit promised in their 2008 draft environmental impact statement. Thus, it’s doubtful Islanders will consider East Link “high quality, frequent transit service.” (By comparison, Sound Transit could easily route more than 20 buses across the I-90 center roadway in two minutes with 10 times East Link capacity, without spending a dime on light rail.)

Sound Transit had initially intended to use the Mercer Island station to transfer about half of the cross-lake bus riders to East Link (the other half at the south Bellevue station). That would have resulted in about 10,000 riders transferring to and from light rail at the Mercer Island station every morning and afternoon. Islander objections ended that debacle.

However, even the fact that “approximately 2,000 daily station boardings at Mercer Island by 2030” is dubious. The Mercer Island station is the last with access to East Link. It’s more than “likely” the “one 74-seat light rail car” will be full well before it reaches Mercer Island, at least during peak commute. After all, Sound Transit is currently still promising 50,000 East Link boarders by 2030. While 2,000 Islanders may eventually be able to get on, the “fact” is they will likely have a long wait before doing so. Thus, it’s difficult to believe that East Link will “promote mixed-use development at regional transit facilities (i.e. the Mercer Island light rail station) and improves transit opportunities.”

The fact sheet is just another chapter in the Mercer Island East Link “saga.” A Sept. 19 City Council presentation, “The Mercer Island I-90 Access and East Link Light Rail Project Update” informed Islanders about an August Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) notification that they would not allow single occupancy vehicles (SOV) to use the HOV lane on Mercer Island for access to the Interstate 90 bridge. (The notification was apparently in response to a March query and a June mayoral presentation advocating for Island SOV use in a presentation to the FHWA and members of Congress. It’s unclear why no one thought to “query” the FHWA sooner).

The Sept. 19 presentation included plans to challenge the FHWA decision using “hired experts” to assist in making a formal rebuttal. A draft of the rebuttal, “I-90 Mercer Island Access Alternatives” was presented at the Nov. 7 council meeting, and then to the community on Nov. 9. My guess is the likely result will be Mercer Island cross-lake commuters having to endure the long lines other I-90 corridor SOV commuters encounter on controlled on-ramps.

The bottom line is ST3 funds an East Link extension that will essentially end Islanders’ easy access to Seattle. It isn’t clear what Sound Transit/Mercer Island negotiations regarding the resulting “loss of mobility” compensation have yielded. What is clear is Sound Transit’s fact sheet does little to change that reality.

Bill Hirt

Bellevue