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Trolley Plan Stirs Debate Over Site

Posted on: Tuesday, 12 July 2005, 12:01 CDT

Jul. 12--Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and King County Executive Ron Sims have declared that by building a new maintenance barn for the waterfront streetcar in Pioneer Square, they are throwing a lifeline to the popular tourist trolley.

But would their plan really rescue it?

By picking Pioneer Square as a location for a replacement barn, Nickels and Sims effectively rejected a Port of Seattle idea to extend the line 1.2 miles north from Pier 70 and put the new barn near Amgen headquarters on Elliott Avenue West.

The Pioneer Square location guarantees that the streetcar will be out of service along the waterfront during the estimated eight to 10 years that a replacement is being built for the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

Port officials, on the other hand, think their plan would allow the streetcar to continue running along a stretch of the waterfront, from about the Seattle Aquarium to Pier 70, during that time.

"There certainly is nothing to prevent it from running," said Bob Edwards, Port of Seattle president. "That was one of the reasons why the Port was willing to step up to the plate and invest in it."

But Nickels and Sims think the streetcar line will have to be shut down along the entire length of the waterfront to accommodate viaduct-replacement work -- no matter which option they chose.

Karl Kruger, chairman of the Downtown Seattle Association's waterfront marketing committee, said waterfront merchants have been under the impression that the Port's northern extension would keep the streetcar running between the Aquarium and Pier 70 while the viaduct is being replaced.

Sims has said construction on a viaduct replacement could begin as early as fall 2007, although others say it could be years later.

"We favor any plan that is going to allow the trolley to remain in operation for as long as possible," said Kruger, general manager of The Edgewater hotel, which at Pier 67 falls within that stretch of waterfront.

Alec Williamson, viaduct project engineer for the state Department of Transportation, said it would be possible for the streetcar to run during viaduct reconstruction.

He said shutting down the streetcar line, and being able to use its right of way, would give the department more flexibility in managing traffic flow during construction along Alaskan Way.

"Leaving the trolley up and running would be an additional constraint on our project," Williamson said. "But it could be done, I'm sure, in some fashion."

Kurt Triplett, Sims' chief of staff, said it may be possible, but "you don't restage a massive $4 billion reconstruction project around being able to achieve a few more blocks of a trolley line that you have no guarantee anyone will ride."

The vintage streetcar currently serves the waterfront, Pioneer Square and the Chinatown International District. A maintenance barn, where the fleet is stored and serviced, is vital to operating the trolley. The existing barn near Pier 70 will be torn down this fall to clear the way for the Seattle Art Museum's new Olympic Sculpture Park.

Streetcar service will be suspended until a new maintenance barn is built.

Although the Port's northern-extension option is more expensive than the Pioneer Square plan -- $20 million vs. $9 million -- Port officials thought the investment would be worth it in part because it would keep the line running along the waterfront, serving the Aquarium, Pike Place Market, the sculpture park, west Queen Anne and Amgen.

Metro officials have said that while the streetcars are down, replacement buses will roll in their place to service the waterfront.

In making their case for the Pioneer Square plan and against the northern extension, Sims and Nickels have cited ridership estimates for the northern extension at a mere 200 passengers a day. But those estimates assume a line that would run from Pier 70 to Amgen, not the Aquarium to Amgen, as the Port believes possible.

The surprise announcement of the Pioneer Square plan last month came after talks broke down among the Port, county and city on the northern-extension option. Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis had announced that the city would not contribute financially to the Port plan beyond its original commitment to donate the right of way and absorb the administrative costs associated with permitting.

The Port had offered to spend about $9.5 million toward the $20 million northern extension to cover the costs for laying new track, hanging new overhead wires and building two new stations. The Port also offered to donate the land upon which the maintenance barn would be built.

Triplett said the county agreed to pitch in no more than $6 million, although the county's share had ballooned beyond $7 million in the discussions.

Ceis said the city was looked upon to fill the gap -- anywhere from $3 million to $5 million, and refused. Believing the line would run only from Broad Street to Amgen and serve only 200 riders a day, the city considered it a bad investment, Ceis said.

"It would be more cost-effective to buy each of those 200 people a [Toyota] Prius," he said. "We could pay for their gas and insurance for the year, too."

The mayor has committed to having the city help the county pay for the Pioneer Square project -- something he wouldn't do for the northern extension.

City Council President Jan Drago wants to see a comparison of costs and benefits between the Pioneer Square and northern-extension options.

A major benefit of the Pioneer Square project, across from Occidental Square, is that the barn would be built beneath new market-rate housing, which the neighborhood has wanted for a long time.

County and city officials also think the Pioneer Square barn can be linked to streetcar service to South Lake Union and, perhaps in the future, along South Jackson Street.

"This site provides multiple benefits for the city," Ceis said.

Nickels has asked the Port to contribute $1 million to help pay for the Pioneer Square barn, noting the Port's stakeholder status as a major property owner along the waterfront. In a June 28 letter to Edwards, Nickels said the Pioneer Square plan "seems to provide long-term viability for the streetcar" and assures "that the streetcar will remain an important feature of Seattle's waterfront community."

But whether the Pioneer Square barn benefits the waterfront is subject to debate. Edwards and the other Port commissioners have an opportunity to discuss that during a meeting today, when they will consider the mayor's request.

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Source: The Seattle Times

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