EDMONDS — The group charged with making recommendations on solving the city’s waterfront traffic problems is scheduled to begin work this week with one more member and one more donation.
The new member of the group is Jodi Mitchell, project manager for Sound Transit. The transit agency also is contributing $10,000 to a study that will look at how to solve traffic problems caused by the convergence of a state highway, a ferry terminal and railroad tracks. Cars have to cross the tracks to get on the ferry or get to the city’s waterfront area.
The group now has $690,000 to spend on the project. The state kicked in $500,000, the city $100,000, $25,000 from the Port of Edmonds, $50,000 from BNSF Railway, and $5,000 from Community Transit.
Some of the suggestions that have been made over the years to avoid crossing the tracks include building an overpass, an underpass, and digging a trench for trains to get through the downtown area underground.
One of the committee’s first tasks is to select a consultant, said Patrick Doherty, director of the city’s Economic Development and Community Services.
“This is not a superficial level of analysis,” he said. The consultant will have to consider soil type, hydrology and engineering, he said.
The study is expected to take 14 to 18 months. Doherty said finding a solution is not as simple as it might seem. As an example, if they were giving consideration to an overpass, they’d have suggest where it would be located and how big it would be, he said. So each of the three main alternatives could have multiple versions to be considered.
Once an alternative is picked, the city will need an additional $400,000 to $600,00 for design plans.
The city estimates up to 40 trains pass through each day, blocking access to the waterfront for about 90 minutes. In addition to BNSF, the train traffic includes Sounder and Amtrak traffic.
Adding to the congestion are the 3.8 million people who either drive or walk on to the ferry each year, and have to cross the tracks to do so.
The city is scheduled to make an update to the Legislature on its progress with the transportation study in December.
The group is being led by Port of Edmonds Commissioner Jim Orvis and Edmonds City Council member Mike Nelson. Other members are Edmonds residents Kirk Greiner, Cadence Kerr and Phil Lovell; Joy Munkers, director of planning and development for Community Transit; Rick Wagner, manager of BNSF’s public projects Northwest division; Lynne Griffith, assistant secretary, Washington State Ferries; Lorena Eng, regional administrator, Washington State Department of Transportation; Rob English, city engineer; and Doherty.
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486; salyer@heraldnet.com.
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