Deadline Approaches for Outside Ideas to Curb Costs on Ballard Light Rail

12 days ago by chaospatterns to c/seattle

Transit advocates are criticizing Sound Transit's process to solicit outside ideas to reduce Ballard Link costs and accelerate the timeline. The Request for Information process was poorly publicized, narrowly defined, and closes today.

chaospatterns 6 points 12 days ago

My favorite part of the article is how Sound Transit is finding the Motif Hotel to be challenging because of its location and depth of foundation.

Then the article suggests just buying the Hotel and demolishing it. Which based on the price of the cocktail I ordered last time I was there, I'm okay with.

It's interesting that the agency is considering a hotel built in 1973 an immutable obstacle. Motif last sold for $145 million in February 2018 – although the 19-story tower did see a renovation in 2023, according to Puget Sound Business Journal. It's possible the agency could save more buying the property and demolishing it than routing a $20 billion-plus project around it, which would force the future Westlake Station to one of the agency's deepest ever at around 135 feet

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rainwall 3 points 11 days ago

Buy it, demo it, then build something else. Even if it cost 200 million it would likely be a steal to not built the stupidiest station possible under it.

Have you read the elevated rail proposal yet? It pitches a great idea that makes the above moot in about 15 different ways. It even has a simple option that makes the 2nd tunnel less relevant, all for 10 billion less than tunneling.

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