Ballard Light Rail At-Grade
Originally around 2013, the Ballard Link Extension was envisioned as an at-grade alternative. Transit advocates and others pushed for complete grade separation for faster speed and reliability. Sound Transit extended the ST3 a decade and convinced the other sub areas to help fund a second transit tunnel. Unfortunately the preferred Ballard Link Extension has faced large cost overruns from $5.2 billion dollars to now $10.8 billion. In light of the eye-watering cost increases, a second look at the original at-grade options studied in the early 2010s should be considered.
At-Grade: 15th Ave / Elliot Ave
Level 2 Corridor C15th Ave At grade Map
Candidate 01A At-grade 15th Avenue/Elliot AveThe Ballard to Downtown Seattle 2014 report for the level 2 alternatives studied a 15th Ave at-grade alternative via 1st Avenue routing. That pre-ST3 at-grade level 2 concept became the C-01a candidate project modified to run near the Seattle Center and further extended south on 1st Avenue to (back then) at-grade West Seattle Link Extension on 1st Avenue.
- At-grade center alignment on 15th Ave NW between new bridge and NW 85th St
- New bridge adjacent to the Ballard Bridge (70' clearance over water surface) with transition to/from center alignment to new bridge
- At-grade surface couplet on 2nd and
4th Avenues between Stewart St and
Denny Way OR- Streetcar in center alignment on 1st Ave, crossing Denny Way, extending to Republican, then west to bridge connection to center alignment in Elliott Ave W.
- Center at grade alignment on Elliott Ave W and 15th Ave W.
- Light rail or rapid streetcar could be accommodated in this corridor
The at-grade alternative would allow for a relatively easy walk to Westlake station. The travel time would be around 15 to 19 minutes to travel from Market Street to downtown Seattle (Westlake Station). The 2-car streetcar or 2-car light rail vehicles would run in the center dedicated lanes.
This project would build light rail from downtown Seattle to Ballard's Market Street area via Uptown, serving Seattle Center. It would include a movable bridge in exclusive lanes and at-grade light rail in exclusive lanes on 15th Ave. N.W. and Elliott Avenue W, with signal priority so trains would generally stop only at stations.
Some intersections would be vertically cleared with a flyover such as 15th Avenue NW/NW Leary Way, 15th Avenue W/W Emerson Street, and Elliott Avenue W/W Mercer Place.
The alignment would stop at:
- Ballard at 15th Ave / Market Street
- Interbay at 15th Ave / Dravus Street
- Smith Cove around Elliott Ave / Prospect Street
- Uptown at Mercer Street / Queen Anne N
- Belltown at 1st Ave / Battery Street
- Westlake at 1st Ave / Pine Street
- Midtown at 1st Ave / Madison Street
- Pioneer Square at 1st Ave / Jackson Street
| Ballard | Westlake | Time | Time w/ Traffic | |
| Route 40 | NW Market St / Ballard Ave NW | 3rd Ave / Pine S | 28 min | 35~40 min |
| RapidRide D | NW Market St / 15th Ave NW | 3rd Ave / Pike S | 26 min | 30~35 min |
| At-Grade Center Light Rail | NW Market St / 15th Ave NW | 1st Ave / Pike S | 15~19 min | |
| Elevated + Tunnel Light Rail | NW Market St / 15th Ave NW | 5th Ave / Pike S | 11~12 min | 15~18 min (to reach street) |
Currently the RapidRide D and Route 40 takes around 26~30 minutes to travel from Ballard to Seattle with an extra 5~10 minutes during traffic. The at-grade light rail would take around 17 minutes to travel from Ballard to Westlake.
The elevated/tunnel alternative would be faster at 11 minutes travel time. However, that is moderately hampered if one is trying to reach the street level at Westlake. The underground 5th Avenue Westlake station is 140 feet underground and Sound Transit estimated passengers would need approximately 4 to 6 minutes to reach the surface from the station platform.
Using the elevated/transit tunnel alternative, a transit rider from Ballard to Westlake would actually need around 15~18 min to reach the Pike street. This travel time is only slightly faster or even possibly slower than the at-grade alternative.
Transfers and Further Destinations| Destination (from Ballard) | At-grade Transfer Time | Tunnel Transfer Time |
| West Seattle | 0 min (runs to West Seattle) | 1~2 min transfer at SODO station |
| Federal Way | 3~4 min walk to Westlake | 0 min (runs to Federal Way) |
| Lynnwood | 3~4 min walk to Westlake | 1~2 min transfer at Westlake station |
| Redmond | 3~4 min walk to Westlake | ~3 min transfer at Midtown station |
If one is continuing further south to SeaTac, then the preferred alternative allows one to easily stay on as the train runs from Ballard via SeaTac to Federal Way. Riders heading to Lynnwood will transfer at Westlake station going up 5 stories from the deep underground station to the existing transit tunnel. Riders heading to Redmond can either transfer at Westlake or alternatively choose to transfer at Midtown with a 2 block walk and go up 1 floor.
Walk from 1st Avenue to 3rd Avenue on Pine Street from google maps
North of CID station transfer to Pioneer Square The at-grade alternative would instead continue on 1st avenue towards West Seattle and riders heading there would just stay on the train. For those heading to Federal Way, Lynnwood, or Redmond they'd have to instead walk and transfer at the original Westlake station. For Ballard residents this is probably a downside given most probably would prefer a one-trip ride to SeaTac and further on to Federal Way over to West Seattle. On the flip side, Lynnwood (and future Everett) residents would probably be happier that their train continues on the more popular route.
Another unfortunate downside for the at-grade alternative is such transfers require a walk from 1st Avenue to 3rd Avenue on Pine Street. While thankfully that section is relatively flat, the outside walk would still expose travelers to the weather. Building some awnings or canopies along Pine Street would help travelers avoid the rain.
Sound Transit's revised plans, which include a deeper Westlake Station and a second Pioneer Square Station instead of the originally proposed shallower Westlake and accessible Chinatown stations, have altered transfer times. While the tunnel alternative still offers quicker transfer times to the existing Westlake Station, the time savings compared to at-grade options are now less substantial.
At-Grade: Leary Way / Westlake AveOne downside with the 15th Ave / Elliot Ave at-grade alternative is skipping the Denny Triangle and South Lake Union.
Level 2 Corridor ELeary / Westlake At grade
Candidate 01A At-grade Leary Way / Westlake AveA separate alternative candidate project C-01d proposed instead running the line at-grade along Leary and Westlake similar to existing Route 40. The light rail would start in Ballard running at-grade on Market Street and then turning south onto Leary Way NW. The line would then continue east towards Fremont at-grade. North of the Ship Canal the line would stop at:
- Ballard West at 24th Ave NW / Market Street
- Ballard at 15th Ave / Leary Way
- Fremont West at 8th Ave / Leary Way
- Fremont at Fremont Ave / N 36th Street
Both the 2014 transit plan and the Sound Transit Candidate plan suggested digging a 1 mile tunnel to cross the Ship Canal. Starting on N 36th Street, the tunnel would head south of the Ship Canal and transition back to an at-grade alignment on Westlake Ave.
Some easier to build alternatives are utilizing the existing bridge at Fremont Ave or constructing a new transit bridge at 3rd Ave S. Either way, the light rail would then continue along Westlake Ave until turning onto Stewart Street and heading south on 1st Avenue.
The existing South Lake Union streetcar would be removed and replaced with the light rail. There would be signal priority similar to the other alignment, and hopefully faster than the existing streetcar. While the light rail will continue stop at Mercer Street and Denny Way, for consolidation and speed the light rail would skip the 7th and Thomas stops in SLU. This would provide leave around 0.3 mile stop spacing.
West Lake Union at Galer Street / Westlake Ave (map)
South Lake Union North at Mercer Street / Westlake Ave (map)
South Lake Union at Denny Way / Westlake Ave
The Fairview and Aloha streetcar stop would also be removed, though it would continue to be served by the RapidRide J.
For the downtown section, the Leary Way/Westlake at-grade alternative would stop at slightly altered locations from the 15th/Elliot at-grade alternative due to the sharp turn from Stewart Street.
Westlake at 5th Ave / Stewart Street (map)
Pike Place Market at 1st Ave / Pine Street (map)
Midtown at 1st Ave / Madison Street (map)
Pioneer Square at 1st Ave / Jackson Street (map)
One additional benefit of this at-grade alternative heading up Westlake Ave is the closer transfer station at 5th Ave / Stewart Street to the existing Westlake Station. One could walk into the north entrance of the Westlake Center and then down the escalators to reach Westlake Station.
Cost Overruns and TimelinesThe current estimate of the Ballard Link Extension (BLE) at $10.8 billion dollars. If the BLE final EIS includes the likely 30~40% cost increase similar to West Seattle Link Extension, then the cost will balloon to $14 to $15 billion dollars. Sound Transit will have to reallocate even more money from the other subareas, which is both unfair and politically impossible. Bringing in around $500 million dollars annually, the North King subarea (aka Seattle) would conservatively take until 2060 to 2070s to fully build both West Seattle and Ballard Link without effectively stealing" from the other subareas. Sound Transit will likely truncate the preferred extension to Interbay for the 2040s in the interim.
The Ballard Link at-grade alternative on the other hand was estimated to cost $1.2 billion (in 2014) or around ~$2 billion dollars in today's dollars. Seattle could fund the at-grade alternative by itself within half a decade. Rather than waiting 40 to 50 years, Seattle could have a new light rail line connecting Ballard and West Seattle within 10~15 years.
Trams or Rapid Streetcar" clarificationThe light rail vehicle option here would consist of 2-car trains not 4-car trains due to Seattle city block width. For the Rapid Streetcar" the plans refer to the use of streetcar vehicles in a fashion more similar to light rail with wide stop spacing and center median configuration. It would be more similar to the SF Muni T line or Portland Max lines than the SLU or First Hill streetcars. There is no travel time difference between using light rail vehicles versus streetcar vehicles.
However, there are some differences with the weight and platform heights. Using the streetcar would allow for slightly easier station construction with the lower platform height around ~10 inches (existing Link platforms 14~15 inches). Additionally, the streetcars which are moderately lighter would also have faster stopping distance hopefully allowing them to stop faster. The streetcars would not be compatible with existing Link light rail and would need a separate OMF. Continuing to use 2-car light rail vehicles would allow using existing OMF's as well as help maintain future compatibility if the line is extended or a future tunnel is built.
ConclusionThe currently proposed elevated and tunnel alignment for Ballard Link, while offering faster travel times, faces substantial to ludicrous cost overruns and have diminished time savings due to deep station access. The at-grade on 15th Ave/Elliott Ave or Leary Way/Westlake Ave alignments, offer viable alternatives with significantly lower costs and shorter construction times. While a fully grade-separated alignment is more reliable and faster than an at-grade alternative, a transit line that is financially affordable and feasible to build will not require transit riders to wait half a century or more.
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