Study: Waterfront Streetcar important option for Seattle mobility
A study by transportation planner Peter J. Voorhees shows that the Waterfront Streetcar line is an important component of citywide transit mobility. Voorhees proposes frequent service, to be provided by both vintage and modern streetcars (as is done on San Francisco’s F-Market line along the Embarcadero). The study envisions eventual connections to other lines at both of the line’s endpoints, as well as additional service during events. From Ch. 6, p. 143:
The Benson Waterfront Line has become an afterthought in Seattle, too easily forgotten since its discontinuation due to lack of a maintenance base. The set of alternatives for rebuilding Alaskan Way once the Viaduct is removed should include a streetcar median. The northern waterfront is sufficiently separated from First Avenue to justify consideration of a recreational trip streetcar connection. Future street closures at the railroad tracks along the North Waterfront will potentially isolate the waterfront even further.
One possible Waterfront Streetcar configuration is a hybrid modern and vintage waterfront streetcar line. Vintage Benson Line vehicles would operate and a maintenance facility would be located in Pioneer Square or the International District—ideally shared with the Jackson Street/First Hill Line. The Benson Line would feature high platform stops, including the existing stop on Main Street in Pioneer Square, and the line would be double tracked. Along the Waterfront, the line’s stations would be designed to accommodate future low-floor, modern streetcar service in addition to vintage car service.
The Benson Line northern terminus would be located along Alaskan Way at the Olympic Sculpture Park. Worth considering, however, is the future certainty of a roadway bridge over the railroad main line at Broad Street and Alaskan Way. If this bridge were designed to accommodate streetcar, it would enable a streetcar transition between Alaskan Way and Western Avenue. This line can conceivably join the First Avenue Line at Denny Way and extend to Uptown/Seattle Center West. Extending further along the north side of Seattle Center (Mercer Street/Roy Street corridor) would serve the Mercer Theater District and connect to South Lake Union. This line offers promise as a recreational connection linking the two downtown waterfronts. Connecting the line on its south end with the SODO line would link the line’s major attractions with the Stadium District. Aside from the Waterfront to International District segments, the line would logically be designed for operation with modern streetcar rather than vintage vehicles.
I’ve long supported a Broad St bridge over the railroad but didn’t know it was considered a certainty. Between King and Union Streets, since 2001 I’ve promoted a design for a 2-lane frontage road (historic Railway Ave) alongside 4-lane Alaskan Way. The additional road space is basic street traffic management; more curbside parking, one streetcar track and bikeway on the islands, the other streetcar track on Railway Ave; sidewalks along both sides of Railway Ave; potential for 3 super-islands to reduce the number of stoplight intersections from 12 to 9 and most important, divide thru-traffic from local traffic between Western and Railway Aves on the central Waterfront stretch.
The deep bore tunnel will further destabilize already unstable soils unavoidably undermining historic and modern building foundations beyond repair and create extreme risk of actual building collapse in earthquakes. The “Waterfront Soil Stabilization” plan is an oxymoron as it will do just the opposite. Water should not be allowed to permeate through any seawall replacement and risk soil filtration which causes voids and sinkholes.
Mercer West is atrocious. To redirect 20,000 vehicles along the steep Mercer Place hillclimb away from the fairly level and suitably commercial corridor of Western/Elliott, through residential Queen Anne, increases air pollution, truck noise and statistical accident rate including fatalities. Mercer East has potential, but adding Mercer West will cancel any gains in managing traffic through the Mercer Mess.
The only tunnel worth doing is the ‘stacked’ 6-lane Cut-cover/Seawall in the FEIS, which incidentally was kept from public consideration during the 2007 voter referendum. It is the least disruptive Cut-cover tunnel to construct because the AWV could remain in place, but Wsdot then was gambling voters would approve the elevated replacement monstrosity. The ramp now being constructed to position the bore machine lines up perfectly well with the stacked Cut-cover/Seawall. It’s not too late to stop Wsdot and their cohorts in SDOT from making a horrible horrible mistake.