Sound Transit to hold five public hearings in July on Everett - to - Seattle Sounder commuter rail draft environmental impact statement
Sound Transit - The Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority - will hold five public hearings next month to receive comments on the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the 35-mile Sounder commuter rail line that will connect the cities of Everett, Mukilteo, Edmonds and Seattle. The EIS is a document required by state and federal environmental laws that analyzes the environmental impacts of major projects in communities.
The opportunity for the public to comment will begin on June 25 when Sound Transit plans to release the draft EIS and the comment period will remain open until August 9. Once the public comment period is completed, comments on the draft EIS will be considered and addressed in the final EIS that should be ready by this fall.
All public hearings will be held from 5 to 8 p.m.:
| Monday, July 12 - Seattle/Ballard Shilshole Bay Beach Club, lower level | Tuesday, July 13 - Mukilteo Rosehill Community Center, room 102 |
| Thursday, July 15 - Shoreline Richmond Beach Congregational Church | Monday, July 19 - Edmonds Edmonds Public Library |
| Wednesday, July 21 - Everett Everett Senior Center |
Copies of the draft EIS document will be available after June 25 for review at Sound Transit headquarters and many area public libraries. Maps, detailed descriptions of the station location alternatives, designs for track improvements and other information about Sounder commuter rail may be viewed and downloaded from the Sound Transit Web site at www.soundtransit.org/.
For people who are unable to attend the hearings, written comments may be mailed after June 25 to Barry Hennelly, project manager, Sounder commuter rail north line draft EIS, Sound Transit, 1100 Second Ave., Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98101.
Sound Transit is on track to implement a three-county region-wide transit system plan known as Sound Move. Approved by voters in 1996, Sound Move will be a seamless blend of three regional transportation systems. Sound Move includes Sounder commuter rail, running 81 miles from Everett to Tacoma/Lakewood; Link light rail consisting of a 21-mile line connecting the cities of SeaTac, Tukwila and Seattle and a 1.6 mile line in Tacoma; and Regional Express featuring the ST Express bus transit system that will connect the major metropolitan areas of Bellevue, Everett, Tacoma and Seattle with numerous cities and communities with at least 17 new, limited-stop bus routes plus numerous new or improved transit centers, park-and-ride lots and high-occupancy vehicle lanes throughout the region.
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Sound Transit plans, builds and operates regional transit systems and services to improve mobility for Central Puget Sound.