Rapidride

Tukwilla Station TOD

By Matt the Engineer on January 5, 2010

(update: this is a complete re-write, as I originally thought this project was for the SeaTac airport station)

It looks like the the city of SeaTac is building TOD at Tukwilla Station (press release [pdf]). This will be less than ideal for Link users, having to walk through Link’s parking lot to get there. Remind me again why we wasted valuable pedestrian space at a station with parking?

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Third Runway

By Frank on November 13, 2008

The long awaited third runway at Sea-Tac will finally open this month. Meanwhile, the PSRC’s Prosperity Blog also notes that Delta (new owner of Northwest) is bagging it’s nonstop to London. The result will probably be British Airways raising prices and monopolizing the route for a while.

Fewer flights at Sea-Tac, plus increased capacity, may slow the need for a second major airport, but Sea-Tac will still hit capacity in 20 years or so. Then what? Boeing Field? Paine Field?

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Questioning ST Design Decisions

By Matt the Engineer on May 16, 2008

I didn’t live in Seattle when Sound Transit planned the route of the light rail, so stop me if this has already been debated to death. Also, I know it’s far too late to change anything. I’m just curious.

Can someone tell me why, exactly, Link takes it’s expensive and circuitus path? Considering it will take as long (or longer) as it currently does via bus to get from downtown to the airport, this would not seem like a great idea.

One would think a straight line would be the easiest, cheapest, and fastest route. This would take us through some industrial areas, which would seem to have inexpensive land. It would also drive by Boeing Field, which could be useful if it ever runs as a commercial airport. Plus it seems like there would have been little/no boring reqired.

Yes, the route drives through a few communities, but this seems like a reason to not put light rail there – you end up stopping at stoplights. Building communities around transit seems like a much better idea.

I imagine a strong difference between city-based transit, that tries to conform to neighborhoods, and regional transit, that should be built for speed. This is clearly regional transit, but seems to be designed as city transit.

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