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December 19, 2014

Sound Transit Board

c/o Board AdministratorSound Transit401 S Jackson St.

Seattle, WA 98104

Re: NORTHGATE PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE BRIDGE 2015 DEADLINE

Dear Members of the Sound Transit Board:

As fellow members of the Sound Transit Board and regional elected leaders, we request theremoval of the July 31, 2015 funding deadline for the Northgate Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge thatwas previously agreed to by the Seattle City Council and Sound Transit Board.

The Northgate Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge will provide a critical connection across I-5 from thefuture Northgate Light Rail Station to North Seattle College and the University of Washingtons

Northwest Hospital.

Because the bridge would shorten the distance from the future light rail station to North SeattleCollege by almost a mile, Sound Transit staff estimated that this bridge would increase its light railridership by 5 percent.1Ridership would likely increase for King County Metro as well and increasethe transit-oriented development potential in the area. The bridge will cost about 1 percent of theconstruction cost for the Northgate Link Extension.

This project has been a high priority for the nearby neighborhoods and the regions advocates for atleast two decades. The neighborhoods of Maple Leaf and Licton Springs have been divided byInterstate 5 since it opened in 1965. As a result, the 1993 Northgate Area Comprehensive Plan,2

2004 Northgate Open Spaces & Pedestrian Connections Plan,3

2006 Northgate CoordinatedTransportation Investment Plan,42007 North Seattle College Long Range Campus Plan,52013Northgate Urban Design Framework,6and 2014 Seattle Bicycle Master Plan7have each called for apedestrian crossing of Interstate 5 at the proximate location of the future light rail station. Thecommunity councils of Licton Springs, Maple Leaf, and Pinehurst have each recently expressedsupport for the bridge.

1Northgate Station Access Study, (Sound Transit, May 2013),

http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/docs/tiger/Northgate%20Non-motorized%20Access%20Study.pdf.2Northgate Area Comprehensive Plan,(City of Seattle, Sept. 1993),

http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/npi/plans/northgate/.3Northgate Open Spaces & Pedestrian Connections Plan, (City of Seattle, Fall 2004),

http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/cs/groups/pan/@pan/documents/web_informational/dpdd017658.pdf.4Northgate Coordinated Transportation Investment Plan, (Cityof Seattle, Sept. 2006),

http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/docs/nctipf_Cover-Executive%20Summary.pdf.5North Seattle Community College Long Range Campus Plan, (North Seattle College, 2007),

https://facweb.northseattle.edu/smcdonald/PedBridge%20SoundT/nscc_long_range_campus_plan.pdf.6Northgate Urban Design Framework, (City of Seattle, Dec. 2013),

http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/cs/groups/pan/@pan/documents/web_informational/p2127183.pdf.7Seattle Bicycle Master Plan, (City of Seattle, April 2014),

http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/bikemaster_materials.htm.

http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/docs/tiger/Northgate%20Non-motorized%20Access%20Study.pdfhttp://www.seattle.gov/transportation/docs/tiger/Northgate%20Non-motorized%20Access%20Study.pdfhttp://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/npi/plans/northgate/http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/npi/plans/northgate/http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/cs/groups/pan/@pan/documents/web_informational/dpdd017658.pdfhttp://www.seattle.gov/dpd/cs/groups/pan/@pan/documents/web_informational/dpdd017658.pdfhttp://www.seattle.gov/transportation/docs/nctipf_Cover-Executive%20Summary.pdfhttp://www.seattle.gov/transportation/docs/nctipf_Cover-Executive%20Summary.pdfhttps://facweb.northseattle.edu/smcdonald/PedBridge%20SoundT/nscc_long_range_campus_plan.pdfhttps://facweb.northseattle.edu/smcdonald/PedBridge%20SoundT/nscc_long_range_campus_plan.pdfhttp://www.seattle.gov/dpd/cs/groups/pan/@pan/documents/web_informational/p2127183.pdfhttp://www.seattle.gov/dpd/cs/groups/pan/@pan/documents/web_informational/p2127183.pdfhttp://www.seattle.gov/transportation/bikemaster_materials.htmhttp://www.seattle.gov/transportation/bikemaster_materials.htmhttp://www.seattle.gov/transportation/bikemaster_materials.htmhttp://www.seattle.gov/dpd/cs/groups/pan/@pan/documents/web_informational/p2127183.pdfhttps://facweb.northseattle.edu/smcdonald/PedBridge%20SoundT/nscc_long_range_campus_plan.pdfhttp://www.seattle.gov/transportation/docs/nctipf_Cover-Executive%20Summary.pdfhttp://www.seattle.gov/dpd/cs/groups/pan/@pan/documents/web_informational/dpdd017658.pdfhttp://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/npi/plans/northgate/http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/docs/tiger/Northgate%20Non-motorized%20Access%20Study.pdf

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Following a controversy over the construction and cost of a proposed 900-stall parking garage forthe light rail station, the City of Seattle and Sound Transit mutually agreed to financialcommitments toward bicycle and pedestrian improvements in the Northgate area. As part of thisagreement, Sound Transit committed $5 million toward the Northgate Pedestrian and BicycleBridge, provided full funding could be secured by July 31, 2015. The total project cost for the

Bridge has been estimated to be between $15 and $25 million, with $10 million already committedto-date between Sound Transit and the City of Seattle. The agreement specifies that if the remainingfunding is not secured by next July, Sound Transits contribution will be reallocated toward otherpedestrian and bicycle infrastructure projects within the neighborhood. The City of Seattlescommitment would return to its general fund.

We understand that the funding deadline was enacted to allow for engineering studies to beconducted so that the bridge could be built into the future light rail station. However, given that theNorthgate Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge preliminary engineering and environmental review will becompleted by the end of this year (Q4, 2014), the deadline no longer has justification and should beremoved.

With the removal of the July 31, 2015 deadline, we can continue to stay committed and focused onsupporting the regional expansion of Sound Transits Link light rail system and improving

pedestrian and bicycle access to the light rail station for the Northgate Urban Center.

With additional time and greater focus from city and regional leaders, we are confident we can findthe remaining funding necessary to construct the Northgate Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge.Potential funding sources include new and greater commitments from Northgate stakeholders;cost-savings from a smaller parking garage; regional, state, and federal grant opportunities; and thecost-savings from the University Link Extension.

For these reasons, we urge the Sound Transit Board to remove the July 31, 2015 funding deadline

for the Northgate Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Larry PhillipsSound Transit Board memberKing County Council Chair

Mike OBrienSound Transit Board memberSeattle City Councilmember

Tom RasmussenSeattle City Council memberand Transportation Committee Chair

Sally BagshawSeattle City Council member

David FrocktState Senator, Legislative District 46

Jessyn FarrellState Representative, Legislative District 46

Gerry PolletState Representative, Legislative District 46