There are several potential alignment schemes for the Ballard light rail, the most popular of which comes with a hefty price tag, as it turns out.
Sound Transit has just released its first cost estimates of the West Seattle-Ballard light rail extension, looking at three proposed alignments to link the two neighborhoods. In Ballard, the biggest questions are the Ship Canal crossing (either a tunnel, elevated bridge, or drawbridge) and where to put the Ballard station. What they came up with are two potential “mix and match” options, taking elements from several alignment proposals, as the Seattle Transit Blog reports.
In a chart released at a Stakeholder Advisory Group meeting this week, the two alignments include elevated bridges to reach both West Seattle and Ballard, or tunnels to reach both neighborhoods. An elevated fixed bridge over Salmon Bay on 14th Ave NW would cost an additional $100 million, while a tunnel under Salmon Bay would be an estimated $350 million. The full project cost of the elevated bridge alignment (in yellow and brown on the chart) would be $400 million above the original cost estimates.
The tunnel option would add a total of $2 billion above the ST3 representative project.
As the Seattle Transit Blog reports, Sound Transit’s project lead Cathal Ridge said a movable bridge could still be in the cards, but could have service interruptions and would have the most impact on other industry in the Ship Canal. A fixed bridge would avoid Ship Canal industry almost altogether, but would have to be at least 140-feet high. The tunnel would have the least impact on maritime, but would require third-party funding.
In the two mix-and-match proposals, the Ballard station alignment would be at NW Market St — either at 15th Ave NW, or be an elevated station at 14th Ave NW.
The advisory group and elected officials are expected to make recommendations in April, and final alignment decisions will be made by the Sound Transit board.