Tacoma Link Extension meeting tonight

Tonight at UW-Tacoma, Sound Transit and City of Tacoma officials will be hosting the second-to-last mini alternatives analysis meeting on the Tacoma Link Extension.  The purpose of this meeting will be to 1) finalize route "evaluation criteria" and 2) to respond to staff proposals for potential concept alignments based on the map that was drawn up collectively by the Stakeholders Group last month.

From previous meetings I can tell you that there are three primary destinations being discussed, St. Joseph Hospital, 6th and Pine Mixed Use Center and Salishan via the Emerald Queen Casino.  Each of these potential routes has their own quirks dealing with right of way, ridership and cost.  We can expect to see some more firm numbers on each of these proposals tonight.

Essentially it boils down to if we choose to go North, we have to decide whether we take "straight shot" Stadium Way (which is being reconstructed using complete streets guidelines next year) or make a "hill climb" to St. Helens Avenue.  After that it's pretty much the same alignment along Division Avenue to Tacoma General, at which there's a decision to be made about either heading west on 6th Avenue or South on Martin Luther King Jr. Way.  The other alignment that's still in play somewhat is the extension to the East along Puyallup Avenue to Portland Avenue to the Emerald Queen Casino, Lower Portland Avenue, and Salishan.  There aren't too many permutations with that route currently since support on the committee depends on serving the mixed income quasi-New Urbanist Salishan development.

I put together the diagram below to summarize the options and debates that have taken place thus far.  Staff may have other ideas to present other than these tonight.



There's an opportunity for public comment before the start of the meeting if you want to attend.  The next meeting will be the last one, which will likely be when the group votes to endorse a set of criteria for Federal Alternatives Analysis and potentially a preferred concept alignment.

The meeting is at 5pm at UW-Tacoma in room CP103

The agenda is as follows:

1. Introductions and Agenda Review
2. Review of Streetcar Routes
3. Route Evaluation
1. Validate values
2. Review data/maps
3. Review criteria and methodology
4. Apply methodology and evaluate the routes
4. Review of other Evaluation Criteria
1. Small Starts Criteria
2. ST Long Range Plan Criteria
5. Wrap up and Next Steps

Read more about the Tacoma Link Extension via the recently updated City of Tacoma Streetcar Stakeholder page.