About that 25-year wait for light rail …

  • By Doug Parry
  • Thursday, April 14, 2016 2:02pm
  • Local News

Did you hear about Breakthrough Starshot?

It’s a plan hatched by a Russian billionaire to send tiny probes to Alpha Centauri to search for intelligent life. The probes would travel an astonishing 25 trillion miles in about 20 years.

Thus, based on current projections, human technology could reach another solar system before light rail reaches downtown Everett.

The draft plan for Sound Transit 3, which will go before voters in November, calls for light rail to extend to downtown Everett in 2041. Yes, your math is right. That’s 25 years away.

A baby girl born today could grow up, graduate from college, spend a year following some band on tour, and spend another year lying around the house disappointing her parents before she could ride the completed light rail. Twenty-five years is a long time.

Who knows? We might not even drive at all in 2041. Our roads could be ruled by autonomous cars that zip around more efficiently once drivers are removed from the equation. Or we could be flying around on our hovercrafts by then. Twenty-five years is a long time.

Can Sound Transit sell us on waiting? Ridership has surged since the newest stations opened in Seattle, and officials are undoubtedly banking on enthusiasm to help carry the day in November. Trains are scheduled to reach Lynnwood by 2023, which is at least within the foreseeable future.

But 25 years is a long time, and Sound Transit is going to need Snohomish County’s support. If our latest poll at HeraldNet.com is any indication, it’ll either need to change its plans or change some minds. When we asked whether you’d vote for the plan, 51 percent said no, only 15 percent said yes, and the remainder said “only if it can get to Everett sooner.”

Maybe light rail can’t grow at light speed, but it’d be nice if it wasn’t light years away.

— Doug Parry, parryracer@gmail.com; @parryracer

About that trip to Alpha Centauri … For our next poll, we’d like to know if you think it’s a good idea.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Bodies of two men recovered after falling into Eagle Falls near Index

Two men fell into the falls and did not resurface Saturday, authorities said. After a recovery effort, two bodies were found.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.