Open Thread 44

It's been a couple weeks, so the roundup is longer than usual. Today, a total solar eclipse will pass over much of the central and eastern United States.

Countdown Clocks:

April 27, 11:02am: First East Link Starter Line Train from South Bellevue Station. Discover the 2 Line.

August 30, 10am(?): Lynnwood Link Extension (1 Line). No schedule for first train yet. Some neat aerial photos from ST's drone photographer Ken Lambert on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/SeaTimesFotoKen/status/1776001156394762448

Local News:

Sound Transit hired Terri Mestas, most recently head of LAX's nearly-complete expansion/renovation, as Megaproject Czar (officially Deputy CEO for Megaproject Delivery"). ST press release; coverage by The Urbanist and The Seattle Times ($).

Mayor Harrell published the draft Transportation Levy for the fall ballot, proposing $1.35 billion in maintenance and modernization". Coverage by The Urbanist, Cascade PBS (formerly Crosscut), and The Seattle Times ($).

Community Transit proposes to formally end collection of the higher fare for commuter buses in the fall, since it will be eliminating the commuter routes after Lynnwood Link opens (Community Transit blog).

Federal Way City Council approved a development plan to bring up to 1,600 homes and a lot of new office/retail space next to the Federal Way Link station (The Urbanist)

Sound Transit modified their contract with Siemens to add 10 link cars to the current contract of 152 new Series 2 light rail cars, totaling 162 new cars by 2028 (The Urbanist). As of February (pdf), Siemens had delivered 125 cars, reportedly enough to fully support East Link and Lynnwood Link service.

Councilmember Kettle (D7) wants to remove the potential pedestrianization of Pike Place Market from the Seattle Transportation Plan (PubliCola).

Project Updates:

Four SDOT projects making changes to 3rd Ave this year (SDOT blog).

A look into the long-span bridge under construction for the Federal Way Link Extension (Sound Transit blog)

Interviews:

An interview with Community Transit CEO Ric Ilgenfritz in the Puget Sound Business Journal ($; accessible with your Seattle Public Library account via proxy).

An interview with Girmay Zahilay, new Sound Transit Board Member, on Sound Transit's future (KNKX, NPR)

Opinion/Miscellaneous:

Marie McKinsey: Why West Seattle Needs a Comprehensive Transit Plan. (Also posted on Westside Seattle).

Alon Levy: the United States has Too Few Road Tunnels.

Reece Martin: Learning About Cities Around The World is a Great Antidote to Transit Cynicism" and A Transit Red Flag: What demand?"

A cost/benefit analysis of a planned cable car/gondola line in Bonn, Germany. (Seilbahnen International)

How two avalanches in the Cascades in the winter of 1910 impacted train routes through the Cascades in Washington and British Columbia. (Cascade PBS)

The Housing Crisis means anyone can become homeless (Real Change).

Seattle Times ($) reviews bridge disasters in Washington State following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. The Northwest Progressive Institute reviews bridges that are vulnerable to similar strikes.

A new website based on open data (close.city) lets you make your own walkability map for any US city based on distance from various destinations, including transit stops, community services, retail, schools, and more. Quick link to Seattle.

Videos (length in minutes:seconds):

What NIMBYs Get Wrong About Density (Oh The Urbanity!; 9:33)

Preview of operations at the Spring District Station, with audio! (Eastside Transit; 2:50).

The Tram Train Excellency of Paris (RM Transit; 10:03)

Cities Where People Travel the Wrong Way" to Work (CityNerd; 18:12). Seattle-Redmond reviewed at 11:20; Seattle-Bellevue reviewed at 11:44.

Rating the Transit to all 30 Major League Baseball Stadiums (Climate and Transit; 12:49). Seattle's T-Mobile Field reviewed at 7:34.

Upcoming Events:

April 11, 7pm: One Seattle Draft EIS Info Session, 130th and 145th Station Area Alternatives and Analysis (online; meeting link not yet available).

April 15, 4pm: Stride Station Naming Workshop (Bothell Library).

April 16, 6pm: One Seattle Plan Open House (Garfield Community Center).

April 17, 5:30pm: Ballard Link Extension SLU Feasibility Study Webinar; repeated on April 23 at 12pm. Update April 11: Presentation to ST Board and subsequent public meeting has been postponed; new date not yet announced.

April 25, 6pm: One Seattle Plan Open House (Eckstein Middle School)

The Urbanist has started a Local Events calendar for events hosted by The Urbanist and other urbanist-adjacent events hosted by other organizations".

This is an Open Thread.