Deep concerns over transit on the CKC | Letter

I would like to voice my deep concern regarding the proposed use of mass transit that is slated to occur on the Cross Kirkland Corridor in Kirkland.

February 26, 2016 2:18 pm
Letters to the editor
Letters to the editor

I would like to voice my deep concern regarding the proposed use of mass transit that is slated to occur on the Cross Kirkland Corridor in Kirkland. I believe that the proposal to modify the Cross Kirkland Corridor (CKC) from the park-like trail as it currently exists to accommodate mass transit will have significant negative outcomes on both the environment and community.

Suitability of the Project and Potential Impacts on the Quality of Life in Kirkland

First, I have very basic concerns about the goodness of “fit” that the construction of this project will have in the proposed location.

1. The development proposed by the Kirkland City Council asks Sound Transit to first place rapid bus transit (BRT) on the CKC; at some later point, this BRT apparently is to be replaced by light rail.

2. The proposed location on the CKC for mass transit simply does not make sense for residents of Kirkland when an equally viable alternative exists.  In fact, using Sound Transit’s own data, when compared to creating a mass transit corridor on the CKC, it can be seen that placing BRT on the I-405 is a superior option and the clear choice.  BRT on I-405 costs 40 percent less to build and 38 percent less to operate. Further, it would carry 27 percent more riders and move those riders 22 percent faster.

3. The proposed development will degrade the quality of life by causing loss of green belt (forest habitat). The Cross Kirkland Corridor is an urban jewel, precisely because of the amount of undeveloped green belt and adjacent parkland. It should not be “whittled” down slowly until only slivers remain of the forested area. It contains much “environmentally sensitive area.”

4. The proposed development will degrade the quality of life of residents living along the CKC with subsequent negative effects on home property values.

My wife, family and I trust you to take these issues into careful consideration and provide our community with additional information before moving forward.

Stanley D. Adams, M.D. and Junghee Park-Adams, Ph.D., Kirkland