LYNNWOOD — Of three alignments being studied for a light-rail track headed from I-5 into the Lynnwood park-and-ride lot, at least one could have a big effect on neighboring homes and businesses.
Those options — and other choices for station locations and track routes for an extension of light rail from Northgate to Lynnwood — are part of a draft environmental study recently completed by Sound Transit.
The study lays out the options but does not make recommendations. Those decisions will be made by the Sound Transit board of directors later this year, spokesman Bruce Gray said. The final environmental study will then commence.
Light rail is scheduled to be extended to Northgate in Seattle by 2021 and to Lynnwood by 2023. The cost of the extension is estimated at $1.2 billion to $1.7 billion.
The 8.5-mile extension will run mostly along the east side of I-5. In Lynnwood, the line will move to the west of I-5 just north of 212th Street SW. To reach the park-and-ride, the rail line would follow one of three routes: along 52nd Avenue W. to 200th Street SW and the park-and-ride; along 52nd for part of the way, then cut over south of Scriber Creek Park; or close to the freeway and the Interurban Trail.
If the line runs along 200th Street SW, it would displace a condominium complex and 30 businesses in a small office park, according to the document. The other routes would run mostly through open space.
In a separate study, Sound Transit is looking at a 20-acre area between 52nd and I-5 for a possible train storage yard. Three sites in Bellevue also are under consideration.
The Edmonds School District, the city of Lynnwood and many nearby neighbors oppose the train yard. The school district owns most of the property and has plans for a bus storage site there.
The study for the train yard is expected to be done this fall.
Along the rest of the light-rail route, stations are planned at Northgate, N. 185th Street in Shoreline and the Mountlake Terrace Transit Center, as well as Lynnwood. Some of the track will be at ground level, some will be elevated.
Other stations would be located either at N. 145th Street at the Seattle city limit or at both N. 130th Street in Seattle and N. 155th Street in Shoreline. A station also could be added at 220th Street SW in Mountlake Terrace.
Public hearings on the draft study are planned next month in Mountlake Terrace, Lynnwood, Shoreline and Seattle. Written comments will be accepted through Sept. 23.
Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439; sheets@heraldnet.com.
Link hearings
Two public hearings in Snohomish County are scheduled next month regarding the draft environmental study for the Lynnwood Link light rail extension planned to open in 2023:
•5:30 to 8 p.m. Aug. 14 at the Nile Shrine Golf Center, 6601 244th St. SW, Mountlake Terrace.
5:30 to 8 p.m. Aug. 21 at the Embassy Suites, 20610 44th Ave. W., Lynnwood.
Written comments will be accepted through Sept. 23 and may be emailed to LynnwoodLinkDEIS@soundtransit.org or mailed to Sound Transit DEIS, Comments c/o Lauren Swift, 401 S. Jackson St., Seattle, WA 98104.
The draft environmental study may be viewed online at tinyurl.com/lrzr22f.
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