Early Scoping + Preferred Alternatives Could Change The Plan For Everett Light Rail

Sound Transit begins early scoping for the extension of the light rail to Everett, Washington. Here’s what the agency released about getting the process started. Notice what we’ve highlighted in bold below that relate to early scoping and preferred alternatives. There is also a YouTube video with more information.

Click on the image to enlarge it.

The Everett Link Extension Project is now doing early scoping analysis and is soliciting public comments! Early scoping is one of the first opportunities you will have to help Sound Transit better understand your community and potential environmental concerns related to the project.

You can also provide information on possible routes, station locations and the location of the new operations and maintenance facility (OMF). Comments can be submitted by visiting our interactive website, emailing [email protected], leaving voicemail at (888) 512-8599, or by mail:

Everett Link Extension
c / o Kathy Fendt
Sonic transit
401 S. Jackson-Str.
Seattle, WA 98104

Early scoping is an important part of the alternative development process. During this phase, Sound Transit will evaluate potential alternatives to the representative ST3 project that could also meet the purpose and needs of the project.

During the early commentary on scoping, we’d like to hear from you about:

• Your community, its history and places important to you that we should consider when examining the representative project and the alternatives for stations, routes and a new operation and maintenance location.
• Potential benefits and impact of the project on your community, the environment and / or transport.
• Your thoughts on the preliminary purpose and needs of the project.
• Any additional input that you would like to share with us.

Comments will be accepted until December 10th.

Click here to learn more about the early scoping process and leave comments.

Here is the Everett Link Extension currently (via Sound Transit)

The planned schedule for the service to Everett Station to open is 2037. This planned schedule requires additional funding and / or savings of an estimated $ 600 million and we will review all options for the service to open in this schedule. However, if additional funding and / or reduced project costs cannot be secured, the time affordable for the service to open to the SW Everett Industrial Center is 2037 and the opening service from there to Everett Station is 2041.

To get Everett connected as soon as possible, the Sound Transit Board has postponed funding for new park-and-ride structures in the corridor until 2046. When the service opens (2037), transit drivers will be able to use existing and new local bus services to access the link to existing park-and-ride facilities at Everett, Ash Way and Mariner stations. Sound Transit will also explore innovative ways to increase the availability of parking spaces and offer other access to train stations before 2046, where and when the budget allows.

That’s what Sound Transit says about preferred alternatives

After working with stakeholders and the community during the development of alternatives and taking into account the contributions from the later EIS early assessment, the Sound Transit Board will determine a preferred route, station locations and an OMF north location (which we will call the “preferred alternative”) for the Determine evaluation in the draft EIS of the project. Once the draft EIS is finalized, the committee may change the preferred alternative, which will then be explored in the final EIS.

The process of developing alternatives for identifying alternatives for evaluation through an EIS process and for achieving a preferred alternative for the EIS design is summarized below:

In addition to starting the representative project from the system expansion plan, Sound Transit identified other potential alternatives that could meet the project purpose and needs, including alternatives developed through local planning efforts such as the Metro Everett Subarea Plan and Snohomish County’s Light Rail Communities. These are the currently proposed potential alternatives that will be analyzed in a Level 1 assessment. Any new alternatives identified by the public, authorities, or the tribes during early scoping will be reviewed first to see if they could also meet the project purpose and need. If they could, they too go through the Level 1 assessment.

In Stage 1, we will further evaluate the representative project, other potential alternatives, and any new alternatives that match the purpose and needs of the project. This includes alternatives for routes, station locations and OMF locations. Alternatives are assessed both qualitatively and quantitatively using criteria that correspond to the project’s purpose and needs. At this evaluation level, alternatives are analyzed in individual sections in order to evaluate compromises in different places. The aim is to come up with alternatives that best suit the purpose of the project and the need for more detailed analysis during the next stage of evaluation.

In Level 2 we will evaluate full corridor alternatives with even more quantitative measures and concepts. The intent of Level 2 is to identify the full Corridor alternatives from Level 1 that best suit the project purpose and needs. The results of the Level 2 assessment will be presented to the public, authorities and tribes for comment during the EIS Scoping Commentary Period. Based on the technical information from Level 1 and Level 2 evaluations and input from the community and stakeholders, the Sound Transit Board is expected to identify a preferred alternative and other alternatives for further planning and environmental assessment.