Putting the "rapid" in 520 transit

Sound Transit is asking for input on a potential ballot measure for November of this year to fund major transit improvements all over the three-county region, including light-rail extensions further south, north, and east. They envision light rail along Interstate 90, and bus rapid transit — or BRT — service on Highway 520, which will soon be rebuilt.

Both corridors are critical, but Sound Transit has focused on improving I-90 to the exclusion of Highway 520. The state is poised to make a major and necessary investment in the Highway 520 corridor, and Sound Transit should join that effort.

Gov. Christine Gregoire has committed to open a new Highway 520 bridge by 2014 and the state has already contributed generously to the project. Federal funds have been secured. Drivers will do their part through tolls and existing gas taxes to help rebuild and expand Highway 520. Beyond that, the regional contribution thus far is zero.

Sound Transit, the regional transit agency, should fund ramps on both sides of Lake Washington to link their buses to their "Link" light-rail stations and transit centers. In return, they should be party to a corridor-management agreement that ensures that these ramps and the HOV lanes they connect to will be optimized for transit speed and reliability.

Sound Transit has already built "direct access" transit ramps in Bellevue, Lynnwood, Federal Way, Eastgate and Totem Lake. A new ramp connecting Highway 520 to the Interstate 5 express lanes would provide Eastside commuters with faster access to South Lake Union and downtown Seattle. New ramps to South Kirkland and the Overlake Transit Center in Redmond, near Microsoft's campus, would give precious time back to tens of thousands of commuters in both directions.

But the biggest opportunity is at the University of Washington. Light-rail service begins from downtown Seattle to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport next year. The northward extension, via Capitol Hill to the University of Washington, is funded and will open in 2016. The historic opportunity to leverage and link these two multibillion-dollar projects must not be missed.

State, regional and community leaders all agree. Seattle City Council resolution 30777 and state law (HB 3096) demand effective transit connections from Highway 520 to the light-rail station at the UW. A broad coalition of Seattle communities, including ours, supports a plan that makes that connection with a short underpass that avoids the notoriously congested Montlake drawbridge, putting the "rapid" in "bus rapid transit." Sound Transit should at least help to enable that vital connection.

But ramps alone are not enough. If BRT is the plan for Highway 520, Sound Transit should provide the same quality experience for BRT riders that light-rail riders would enjoy. That means buying and operating more buses for frequent service. It means real stations with amenities, level boarding and fare-paid areas to reduce delays. A few new rain shelters by the side of the road won't cut it.

We realize funding is limited but, oddly, Sound Transit is considering a contribution to Highway 520 only with the smallest overall package. They see the light-rail extension from Bellevue to Overlake as reducing the need for transit investments on Highway 520. This is not so. Highway 520 is dramatically more direct than I-90 for a lot of trips.

A bus ride from UW to Overlake in Redmond would take 14 minutes on the day the ribbon is cut on the new Highway 520, stopping only twice. The same trip would take 41 minutes on light rail via I-90, when that opens years later, stopping 13 times. Even accounting for potential transfer time, tens of thousands of commuters could save 40 minutes a day by taking Highway 520. A corridor-management agreement with performance guarantees could ensure buses go full speed at all times, even at 5 p.m. on a weekday before a big game.

With a new skyline of cranes on both sides of the lake, traffic congestion and $4 gas, transit is becoming ever more critical for our regional economy and the environment. This is not about the Eastside versus Seattle (it's both), or trains versus buses (it's both), or Highway 520 versus I-90 (it's both.) This is about whether we, as the largest metro area in the Northwest, will step up and make the basic infrastructure investments to support our growth.

Key decisions are about to be made that will determine the long-term viability of our region. We need transit service, not lip service. It's time for Sound Transit to get serious about Highway 520.