Seattle City Council and Sound Transit Board to hold combined hearing on downtown Seattle tunnel transfer agreement

Seattle City Council and Sound Transit Board to hold combined hearing on downtown Seattle tunnel transfer agreement

The Seattle City Council Transportation Committee and the Sound Transit Board will hold a joint public hearing on the recently announced agreement for the transfer of the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel to Sound Transit for conversion for light rail transit use:

12:30 - 2 p.m., Thursday, May 11
Sound Transit Board Room, Union Station
401 S. Jackson St.
Seattle

The King County Council, which is also a partner to this agreement, will hold a separate public hearing on May 22. King County currently owns the tunnel, and much of the tunnel is below City of Seattle street right-of-way. Under terms of the agreement, the tunnel would be transferred to Sound Transit in 2004 for conversion for use by its 21-mile Link light rail system, reopening as a light rail facility in 2006. The agreement calls for King County to receive the full depreciated value of the tunnel by having Sound Transit assume remaining debt service on the tunnel, and theCounty retain tunnel-related assets including development rights at the site of the current Convention Place Station. The Seattle City Council, King County Council and Sound Transit Board all must vote to authorize the agreement.

Those unable to attend the hearing may submit written comments to:

The proposed agreement is available for review at the Seattle Municipal Bldg., 600 - 4th Ave., at Sound Transit, 401 S. Jackson St., or on-line at www.ci.seattle.wa.us/planning/transittunnelmou.htm

In addition to developing its Link light rail system, Sound Transit is providing regional ST Express bus service, and will be launching Sounder commuter rail service between Tacoma and Seattle this fall.

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Sound Transit plans, builds and operates regional transit systems and services to improve mobility for Central Puget Sound.