Shorter Downtown Tunnel for Bellevue Light Rail?
From The Seattle Times:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/bellevueblog/
2012201087_soundtransitstudyingshorterdowntownlightrailtunnel.html
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012201905_lightrail25m.html
East Link may run in a short tunnel in downtown Bellevue. This tunnel would eliminate conflicts with roads downtown while also fitting with the budget, versus a longer tunnel option discussed previously.
While more expensive than an at-grade option, keeping the trains seperated in a major downtown area is critical. For example, running Portland’s MAX system at grade downtown severely limits the running time and length of trains. Compare this to seperated systems such as Seattle Link and Vancouver BC’s SkyTrain.
It is IMPERATIVE that this work be perfomed now while it can be done, even if it increases the cost, since it will only be more expensive later.
Ben