Letter EL652 City of Mercer Island. Page 1. No comments n/a

Transcription

1 Letter EL652 City of Mercer Island Page 1 No comments n/a

2 Page 2 Response to comment EL652 1 Section of the Final EIS presents the range of potential impacts of the project. This project also lists measures used during project planning, including developing design criteria that guide project design issues, use of interdisciplinary teams to develop designs with opportunities for community comment, and subjecting station and facility designs to appropriate design reviews required by the cities in which they are located. As described in Section 2.5 of the Final EIS, the alternative refinement process will continue through final design, and mitigation measures will be refined through final design and permitting, including local design reviews. Response to comment EL652 2 Section 4.2 and Appendix F4.2 of the Final EIS have been updated to refer to the Mercer Island City Code and the Design Principles for Mercer Island Town Center Light Rail. Sound Transit will continue to consult with the City as the project design is refined during final design.

3 Page 3 Response to comment EL652 3 The conceptual station designs included in Appendix G1 provide the nonmotorized improvements at each station. Specific nonmotorized improvements are also described in Section 3.7 of the Final EIS. Lighting at the station entry locations will be designed to meet the standards in Sound Transit's Design Manual. In addition, the pedestrian and bicycle analysis reviewed the existing local and regional nonmotorized system and their future plans. This analysis included a sidewalk level of service analysis at each of the station areas and reviewed gaps in the nonmotorized system. At the Mercer Island Station, additional crosswalk improvements, beyond the current conditions, are not proposed because crosswalks are already provided to and from the park andride lots at both 77th and 80th Avenue SE intersections with North Mercer Way and crosswalks are provided on all approaches at the 77th Avenue SE and Sunset Highway.

4 Page 4 Response to comment EL652 4 Kiss and ride areas proposed at the Mercer Island Station include the current stalls located within the park and ride lot in addition to spaces designed for passenger drop off and pick up at the eastern end of Sunset Highway. These two areas would accommodate the forecasted kiss and ride demand that is described in Section 3.6 of the Final EIS. The preliminary engineering of the Mercer Island Station has been coordinated with City of Mercer Island staff and coordination will continue through final design. Response to comment EL652 5 Table 6 17 of Appendix H1 of the Final EIS provided the mode of travel to the Mercer Island Station. At this station, the transit ridership forecast model predicted by 2030 there will be 2,500 daily boardings as indicated in Table 6 17 of Appendix H1 of the Draft EIS. Within the 3 hour PM peak period, the model predicted 270 riders will either walk, bicycle, or be dropped off/picked up; 430 riders will transfer to/from a bus; and 340 riders will drive. The Draft EIS did not provide a percentage of Mercer Island riders to other riders using this station, but it's likely that a majority of the 270 riders who walk, bicycle, or get dropped off/picked up are heading to or coming from a place near the station, and a mixture of Mercer Island and other riders are either using a bus transfer or driving. This information has been updated in Section 3.6 of the Final EIS. Response to comment EL652 6 The potential for hide and ride parking by riders, from any of the other Segment B alternatives, is expected to be low, as described in Section of the Final EIS, because of the limited amount of available on street parking surrounding these stations and because the parking surrounding the proposed station is currently restricted by the local agency. It is expected that people not able to park at a park and ride station will either use another station that has available parking or change their mode of travel. Response to comment EL652 7 In Appendix H1 of the Final EIS, specific potential mitigation for each intersection is proposed for impacts in order to bring the intersection level of service (LOS) to no build conditions. Based on these findings, Sound Transit will coordinate with the City of Mercer Island and WSDOT on the implementation plan of these improvements. Refer to Section of the Final EIS for potential mitigation addressing impacts on intersections.

5 Page 5 Response to comment EL652 8 As described in Section 4.3 in Appendix H1 of the Final EIS, as part of the East Link Project, King County Metro and Sound Transit service planners developed a transit integration plan for the future no build and build conditions. Although the service plans would not be finalized until close to system operation, the draft plans provide a snapshot of how bus service would look. Future bus service frequency and coverage would increase. Most changes would reflect travel demand patterns and regional growth. With the project, bus service that parallels the project would be eliminated. Bus routes would be tailored to feed the light rail system, thereby closing gaps in the existing transit network. A greater detailed discussion of transit ridership can be found in Section in Appendix H1 of the Final EIS. Response to comment EL652 9 As part of the required safety and security management plan, a Fire/Life Safety Committee will be created to address safety, security, and emergency plans to ensure a safe environment for Sound Transit passengers, employees, and persons interacting with the project. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles would be implemented, and Sound Transit would build upon existing plans (i.e., Initial Segment, Airport Link, and University Link Safety and Security Management Plan) and use existing design criteria to meet the latest Federal Transit Administration (FTA) guidelines on safety and security. Refer to Section 4.14 of the Final EIS for additional information. Sound Transit contracts with the King County Sheriff and other security firms to provide police services. A recent review of crimes reported along the existing light rail corridor shows that the crime statistics at stations are much lower compared to crime statistics for surrounding jurisdictions.

6 Page 6 No comments n/a

7 Page 7 Response to comment EL Access to the center roadway on the I 90 floating bridge would no longer be available because of minimum requirements for emergency vehicle widths. Refer to Section 4.14 of the Final EIS for more information. As part of the required safety and security management plan, a Fire/Life Safety Committee will be created for this project to address safety, security, and emergency plans to ensure a safe environment for Sound Transit passengers, employees, and persons interacting with the project. Sound Transit consulted with the City as part of the preliminary engineering work on the station. Sound Transit will continue consultations with the City as final design proceeds. Response to comment EL Sound Transit has and will continue to coordinate with the City of Mercer Island's Parks Department regarding temporary and permanent easements and property transfers needed for the East Link Project. Response to comment EL Most construction staging for construction of the East Link Project on Mercer Island is expected to be located within WSDOT right of way for I 90. The only construction that may occur outside of WSDOT right of way would be for the traction power substations (TPSS) located underneath I 90, at the west and east ends of the island, and construction on surface streets required for station entrances. Sound Transit would finalize detailed construction mitigation plans in coordination with local jurisdictions. Construction noise would be required to meet the City of Mercer Island's noise regulations. If any nighttime construction was planned, Sound Transit or the contractor would be required to obtain a noise variance from the City. Contractor parking would be accommodated within the I 90 right of way.

8 Page 8 Response to comment EL Sound Transit will work with the City of Mercer Island during final design and construction to accommodate special events during construction to the extent possible.