Streetcar alternative route maps released

A group led by Capitol Hill Housing is championing a 12th Ave route for the streetcar project that is planned to connect the Capitol Hill light rail station to the First Hill area and, eventually, Union Station in the International District. CHS covered a Seattle City Council briefing last week detailing the progress on planning for the route .

Meanwhile, Seattle City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen has clarified his objections to the planned streetcar route. Council transportation committee chair Jan Drago put out a call for community support for the streetcar after Rasmussen's statements at last week's Council streetcar briefing. Rasmussen told CHS he does not plan to take any actions to stop the streetcar despite his questions at last week's briefing about how the project's money was going to be spent. But that doesn't mean he doesn't think the project is a good use of money -- even if Sound Transit is footing the bill. "The problem I have with building a streetcar netwok in Seattle is that it is so wildly expensive compared to more bus service," Rasmussen said. "Why should we go through incredibly expensive effort to build a new transportation system? We'd get so much more from added routes on Metro."

Sound Transit's position on the matter is that the streetcar route -- and lots of other, um, stuff -- was part of the ballot measure approved by voters in 2008. So planning for the streetcar continues.

The 12th Ave group has released two maps to offer alternative concepts to the city's plan to path the streetcar route directly down Broadway.

Download maps PDF

Alternative 1 shows a route that utilizes 12th Ave between Jackson and Pine before making a jog down Pine and connecting with Broadway and on to the light rail station between Denny and John.

Alternative 1

Alternative 2 illustrates a more audacious plan that would create a loop utilizing both Broadway and 12th Ave in an effort to put more riders withing walking distance of the line and potentially reduce the impact to traffic and parking on Broadway than the city's plan.

Location

12th Ave - Seattle

View entire map >>

Alternative 2

Capitol Hill Housing has a few significant projects planned along 12th Ave including this effort to create a mixed-use development at the site of the East Precinct parking lot near 12th and Pine. You can learn more about those and other issues surrounding the 12th Ave core at Capitol Hill Housing's annual forum, The Future of 12th Ave , next Wednesday, Aprill 22nd.

Central District Reports that the city is planning to hold meetings to gather community feedback on the plans before making a decision on the route in June.