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520 Bridge Moves Forward!
The SR 520 bridge an important project, and one of the key things I work on as a legislator. We have struggled with this project for the entire time I have been in the legislature. The project we are moving forward with will look mostly like the A+ option determined in the SR 520 legislative…
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Microsoft goes strong on 520
Microsoft has started a huge new campaign to get the legislature to (finally) approve moving forward on the 520 bridge. The Seattle PI covered it here http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/archives/195479.asp Microsoft even has their own website for the campaign, and a full page newspaper ad. I’m starting to get mail from people about it, and I agree. I…
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520 Generates Controversy
As usual, every time we take a step forward on the 520 Bridge project we generate a bunch of controversy. In December the 520 Legislative Workgroup released its recommendation for the “A+” design option. I’ve written extensively abou tthis and you can read my blog of search local news sites for news about the 520…
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New Newsletter Available
I emailed out a newsletter today. I’m attaching a link to the PDF version of it – this is somewhat easier to print out and read if you’re a print person. 2009-12-15 Newsletter I expect to produce much more regular newsletters now that we are approaching the session. Please let me know if there is…
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WSDOT report: SR 520 project leads to better travel times for buses and carpools
WSDOT emailed out their periodic status report on Eastside transportation stuff today and these tidbits about comments on the SR 520 project came in. We would value comments on the work product of the “SR 520 Legislative Workgroup,” of which I am a member. My opinions about the design of the bridge focus on how…
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Incremental Progress on the SR-520 Bridge
Last year the legislature passed a bill (HB2211) that authorized tolling on 520 starting in 2010. I voted against this for a variety of reasons, but mostly because the bill limited the potential uses of the tolling revenue to only the floating part of the bridge, leaving the eastside approaches waiting. We’re ready to go…
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Sound Transit East Link public workshop in downtown Bellevue
Sound Transit included the following blurb in the weekly easatside tranpsortation news WSDOT sends out. These are typically useful events with lots of charts, maps, and staff around to answer questions. It’s probably worth going by for 15 minutes to look at what the options are if you’re interested in Link Light Rail on the Eastside.…
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Light Rail over 520?
A couple of people have suggested quite publicly that we reconsider the decision to put light rail on the I-90 bridge. I sent this as an email reply to Dave Thomas, who publishes a reliably interesting newsletter (http://pugetsoundliberals.org/) in response to an article in the most recent edition (#198.) 520 doesn’t work as the initial…
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520 Financing Options Discussion
The SR 520 Legislative Workgroup will meet on October 20th for a rousing discussion of the financing plan for the bridge. Tuesday, October 20, 2009, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Sound Transit- Union Station, Ruth Fisher Board Room 401 South Jackson Street, Seattle, WA 98104 The proposed agenda is Overview from WSDOT staff on the…
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520 Working Group Meeting 9/22/09
Today I’m attending a meeting of the 520 Legislative Workgroup, trying to work out an agreed upon design for west end of the 520 bridge and a financing plan. You can look at the official documents at the website the state maintains for the project. I’ll provide some links to interesting ones in the middle…