Light rail between Bellevue and Seattle

[homesinseattle]

Looks to me like great progress is being made.

[mhays25]

Originally Posted by Gardyloo

Only because Sound Transit kept changing the budget and timetable to fit with reality. Go back to the information provided to the voters originally and see how it sounds. Sit down before you do.

They had a come-to-jesus moment about 17 years ago. Since then they've done very well. During the downturn they routinely built work well under budget, like 20% sometimes for the various individual projects.

[wutitiz]

Originally Posted by NorthernCalifornia

Sound Transit excels at utterly useless maps. I have tried for years to find good maps of their rail system and plans and just can't do it. Clearly this is by design.

Yeah, I was considering a move to the Auburn area, and went on their site to see how far east I would have to go to get out of the ST district (to escape their tax). The map was ridiculous, like it had been put together by a group of 4-year olds. You could not make heads nor tails of it.


Sound Transit is one big scam operation. They've been caught doing push polling, spending tax dollars on campaign materials (supposed to be illegal), and illegally funneling internal data to campaign groups.

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by Gardyloo

Only because Sound Transit kept changing the budget and timetable to fit with reality. Go back to the information provided to the voters originally and see how it sounds. Sit down before you do.

You mean in 1996? No one is arguing that ST1 wasn't overly optimistic and badly managed. They came back to the voters for a re-do, twice, and the voters gave it to them.

[dozerbear]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

I believe that ULink was finished under budget and ahead of schedule. Budget overruns are not inevitable, but they can happen due to unforseen factors.

https://www.soundtransit.org/Project...Link-Extension

And outright lying about the cost of the project. The Move Seattle levy said the 7th ave bike lane would cost $860,000 per mile, with the actual cost just under $13 million per mile, while the one on 2nd cost $12 million. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle...-review-finds/

Seattle transit activists are continually pushing for more stations, more tunnels, more underground stations, with more amenities. Activist driven inflation isn't unique to Seattle, but they are taking it to new heights, with an almost complete lack of discipline at ST and city hall. One activist with Seattle Subway has this all too common attitude:

“There’s absolutely no reason to think we have to sacrifice anything. We can have everything,” said Drew Johnson, volunteer coordinator for the nonprofit Seattle Subway.
"Seattle is one of the richest cities in the world’s richest nation, and a capital-gains tax or other progressive sources are available", Johnson said.

Sound Transit's new Lynwood extension is already $500 million over budget, the parking garage in Kent is going to cost $118,000 per space, and they want another station in South Lake Union only five blocks away from the other station, at a cost of $500 million. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle...-at-what-cost/

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle...m-over-budget/

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by dozerbear

And outright lying about the cost of the project. The Move Seattle levy said the 7th ave bike lane would cost $860,000 per mile, with the actual cost just under $13 million per mile, while the one on 2nd cost $12 million. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle...-review-finds/

Seattle transit activists are continually pushing for more stations, more tunnels, more underground stations, with more amenities. Activist driven inflation isn't unique to Seattle, but they are taking it to new heights, with an almost complete lack of discipline at ST and city hall. One activist with Seattle Subway has this all too common attitude:

“There’s absolutely no reason to think we have to sacrifice anything. We can have everything,” said Drew Johnson, volunteer coordinat

or for the nonprofit Seattle Subway.
"Seattle is one of the richest cities in the world’s richest nation, and a capital-gains tax or other progressive sources are available", Johnson said.

Sound Transit's new Lynwood extension is already $500 million over budget, the parking garage in Kent is going to cost $118,000 per space, and they want another station in South Lake Union only five blocks away from the other station, at a cost of $500 million. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle...-at-what-cost/

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle...m-over-budget/

The Levy to Move Seattle was not by Sound Transit, but the City of Seattle. It has zero relevance when it comes to ST's management and performance. They've acknowledged cost increases, additional community transportation priorities, and uncertainty and limitations of federal grants after the first two years. They've also acknowledged that program management improvements are needed (Move Seattle was three times the size of Bridge the Gap).

http://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Dep..._Printable.pdf

On increased costs for the Lynnwood Station, ST cites "soaring labor, materials and land costs in the overheated Seattle-area market, along with added features being requested by communities." ST projected a 25% vs a 44% increase in land costs, for instance. The schedule delay is due to uncertainty over federal funding.

Land costs pushing light-rail expansion over budget, Sound Transit says | The News Tribune (no paywall)