If no monorail, why not a streetcar?

Thursday, September 8, 2005

By JANE HADLEY
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

If the Seattle monorail is terminated, then what?

King County Councilman Dwight Pelz, running for a seat on the Seattle City Council, floated one possible answer to that question Wednesday: substitute a streetcar for the monorail to connect West Seattle to downtown and the city's light rail and planned streetcar system.

Pelz, a Sound Transit board member, wrote Sound Transit Chief Executive Officer Joni Earl on Tuesday asking that her staff study "the costs and challenges" of his idea.

"The best thing about the monorail is that it was going to provide a dedicated right-of-way out of West Seattle," Pelz said. "It's very hard to get out of West Seattle at rush hour and it's very hard to get back in at rush hour. If the (Alaskan Way) viaduct were to go down, West Seattle would almost be stranded."

Pelz said his plan would not use Sound Transit money to build the streetcar line. But Sound Transit is the logical agency to study it, he said, because the streetcar technology he is calling for would be the same as what Sound Transit has already built in Tacoma.

A spokesman for Earl said the Sound Transit CEO had just received the letter.

"I think what you'll see is there'll be some discussion among (board members) about the proposal," said Sound Transit spokesman Geoff Patrick.

Pelz's opponent, Seattle City Councilman Richard McIver, is also a Sound Transit board member.

Pelz suggests using monorail right-of-way and station locations in West Seattle to run a streetcar from West Seattle across the West Seattle Bridge, dropping down to the industrial area.

The line would go east to the E-3 busway, which is at about Fifth Avenue South, and north on the busway, where riders could transfer to the light rail line at either the South Lander Street or Safeco Field stations.

The streetcar would then run through the International District, where it would connect with the Waterfront Trolley.

Pelz believes streetcar technology, which doesn't require utilities to be relocated, will be less expensive than either light rail or monorail.

He suggests that if the monorail project is shut down, the city ask the Legislature for taxing authority to raise money for the West Seattle streetcar and then contract with Sound Transit to build it.

P-I reporter Jane Hadley can be reached at 206-448-8362 or janehadley@seattlepi.com.

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