Redmond eyes possible routes for light rail

Sound Transit officials marked on a map three proposed light-rail routes to Redmond, but many of the 60 people who showed up at Tuesday's open house about the East Link light-rail project wanted to see the bigger picture.

Namely, will the project funding run out before the train ever gets there?

The East Link light rail will tie into the light-rail line now under construction from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to downtown Seattle and across Lake Washington on the Interstate 90 bridge.

But the project is only funded as far as Overlake, although the Sound Transit board has authorized taking the train to Redmond, said project manager Don Billen.

Grant money and savings made elsewhere along the route would pay the remaining $700 million needed to build the Redmond portion, he said.

That means the money available to get light rail to Redmond depends, in part, on how much is spent building it to Bellevue.

"There are inherent trade-offs in how much you spend and how far you can go," said Sound Transit spokesman Geoff Patrick.

Light rail wanted

Bob Marsh showed up at the open house at Redmond City Hall Tuesday to make sure the train goes all the way to Redmond — the sooner the better.

"We are already way behind the curve here," said Marsh, a Microsoft employee who lives in Redmond. "This [light rail] should've been done 15 years ago and it won't get done until 2027."

Marsh and others suggested getting Redmond employers Microsoft and UPS to kick in for part of the cost. UPS could even send packages from Redmond to the airport via the light-rail route, he said.

That plan would have to pay off big time. The total projected cost for the Overlake to Redmond segment is $800 million.

Money set aside

So far, $100 million has been set aside to pay for an environmental-impact study, preliminary engineering, and strategic right-of-way, which means buying the properties critical to the route that are in jeopardy of being developed for other uses, Billen said.

The Redmond open house, which capped a series of open houses on the Eastside, was part of a public outreach and planning process that cost Sound Transit $17 million, Patrick said.

There is one proposed route between Overlake Transit Center and West Lake Sammamish Parkway Northeast (along Highway 520) and three alternatives through downtown Redmond.

The downtown alternatives all use a portion of the abandoned BNSF railroad via Redmond Way, Marymoor Park and Leary Way. The alternatives terminate at either the Redmond Park and Ride or a new park and ride near the intersection of highways 520 and 202.

Sound Transit also presented potential locations for a maintenance facility in Redmond.

However, if the rail line does not extend to Redmond, the facility would have to be built in Bellevue. Bellevue city officials have said they would prefer it be in Redmond, Patrick said.

The Sound Transit board won't decide on a final Eastside route until after November, when voters will decide on a $16.5 billion Regional Transportation Investment District measure.

That includes $6.7 billion for roads and $9.8 billion for the second phase of light rail. The cost also includes expansion of light rail from Seattle to Lynnwood and Tacoma.

The Legislature has mandated that voters must approve the transit and highway plan together.

Sound Transit expects to complete the environmental-impact statement, which will contain the final routes, next year.

Amy Roe: 206-464-3347 or aroe@seattletimes.com