SEATTLE CENTER MONORAIL STATIONS RECONFIGURATION EVALUATION REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY P. 3 2 EXISTING CONDITIONS ANALYSIS P. 7 3 CONCEPT DESIGN DRIVERS AND OBJECTIVES P. 12 OPERATIONAL GOAL P. 14 WESTLAKE STATION P. 15 SEATTLE CENTER STATION P. 21 BELLTOWN STATION P. 26 4 APPENDICES APPENDIX A: COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS P. 27 APPENDIX B: COST OF IMPROVEMENTS P. 28 APPENDIX C: COMMUNITY OUTREACH P. 29 APPENDIX D: DISCARDED CONCEPTS P. 37 APPENDIX E: THROUGHPUT ANALYSIS P. 40 Monorail Reconfiguration Evaluation Report June 2018 2 Link Light Rail Regional Map Red Line Everett –West Seattle Blue Line Lynnwood –Redmond Green Line Tacoma –Ballard Purple Line Issaquah –South Kirkland Lynnwood City Center Mountlake Terrace Shoreline North/185th EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Shoreline South/145th NE 130th INTRODUCTION In late 2017, VIA Architecture was selected by Seattle Northgate Monorail Services and Seattle Center to develop and evaluate potential improvements to the Seattle Monorail that will increase capacity, improve accessibility, Roosevelt and better connect it with the regional transit network, MONORAIL VITAL LINK TO WESTLAKE HUB downtown transportation infrastructure, and other downtown resources. The results of that effort and are U District Downtown summarized in the following report and include concept designs for both Monorail stations, time lines, operating University of Redmond Lynnwood Washington recommendations, and high-level cost estimates. Everett UW CAMPUS Redmond Kirkland SE Redmond Seattle Spring STUDY PRINCIPLES Center Redmond Technology Center District/2018Bel-Red/ The primary objectives of this feasibility study and Capitol 120th 130th Overlake Village concept design are to enhance patron experience at the Hill Wilburton existing Monorail stations and increase overall capacity UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON of the 1-mile line to meet the demands of growth and Westlake development in Seattle Center and downtown. The larger goals of these objectives align with the goals Bellevue University St put forward by the Seattle Comprehensive Plan 2035, DOWNTOWN Downtown adopted in 2017, and other community efforts as SEATTLE follows: Pioneer Square East Main 1. Maximize the operating potential of the existing 6. Provide universal access. South Monorail line. 7. Contribute to a safer city* Int’l District/ 2. Make the best use of existing streets, parking 8. Create an interconnected city where people have Chinatown Bellevue ANGLE LAKE facilities, and transit operations to move people to reliable, easy to use travel options*. Bellevue and from Seattle Center. 9. Develop a more vibrant city by creating streets Stadium IssaquahMercer and sidewalks that generate economic and social 3. Encourage the use of public transit to Seattle Center Island by fully integrating the Monorail as part of the local activity*. ANGLEBeacon LAKE Kent/Renton SoDo and regional transit system. Hill Federal Way 4. Meet the transportation needs required by Tacoma redevelopment of the Seattle Center Arena on its Delridge Figure 1a: This diagramMount shows Baker existing connections from the Monorail to regional transit at Westlake Station. opening day. Avalon 5. Provide a phased approach to bring improvements The red line represents Sound Transit Link Light Rail 1 (ST1). The green lines represent regional bus lines on-line as quickly as possible, with subsequent that will be supplemented or replaced by ST2 and 3 over time. The diagrams on the following pages show the Alaska growth of the Link LightColumbia Rail network City and the regional stations that will be able to provide direct access to improvements to be added as capacity needs Junction increase with the completion of Sound Transit 2 *Goals take directly from the Seattle 2035 Seattle Center via public transit from 2018 - 2041, with the Monorail playing a key role in that connection until at least 2036. connections to Bellevue and Redmond. Comprehensive Plan S Graham St Othello Rainier Beach Monorail Reconfiguration Evaluation Report June 2018 3 S Boeing Access Rd Tukwila/ Int’l Blvd Station Destination SeaTac/Airport Connections Angle Lake SeaTac Airport Kent/Des Moines Seattle Center Monorail Seattle Streetcar S 272nd Sounder/Amtrak Federal Way Tacoma Link Washington State Ferries/ South Federal Way King County Water Taxi Map is not to scale Tacoma East Fife soundtransit.org Dome Tacoma Not an ocial Sound Transit map Copyright c 2017 Steve Boland, calurbanist.com Link Light Rail Regional Map Red Line Everett –West Seattle Blue Line Lynnwood –Redmond Green Line Tacoma –Ballard Purple Line Issaquah –South Kirkland Link Light Rail Regional Map Lynnwood City Center Mountlake Terrace Shoreline North/185th Red Line Everett –West Seattle Shoreline South/145th Blue Line NE 130th Lynnwood –Redmond Green Line Northgate Tacoma –Ballard Purple Line Roosevelt Issaquah –South Kirkland U District Downtown University of Redmond Lynnwood WNORTHGATEashington Everett UW Campus Redmond Kirkland SE Redmond LynnwoodSeattle City Center Spring Center Redmond Technology Center District/2021Bel-Red/ ACHIEVABLE OUTCOMES Capitol 120th 130th Overlake Village Doubling Monorail capacity to 6000 passengers per Utilize existing infrastructure to ease congestion Hill Wilburton NORTHGATE hour in each direction Mountlake Terrace Maximizing the operating capacity of the existing Westlake The major constraints on the system are at Westlake. Monorail line to its greatest people-moving potential Shoreline North/185th The 1988 replacement of the original downtown can mitigate congestion created by large events at Bellevue station with one inside the Westlake Center shopping Seattle Center. University St Downtown mall essentially cut system capacity in half. DOWNTOWN The fine grain, pedestrian oriented neighborhood of SEATTLE Shoreline South/145th Capacity goals at Westlake can be achieved with Uptown cannot provide the transportation capacity Pioneer Square East Main automated ticketing, fare gates, additional vertical that exists in downtown without major investment and NE 130th circulation capacity, improved visibility, enlarged impact to the character of the neighborhood. Int’l District/ South and reconfigured platform and queuing spaces, and Chinatown Bellevue easy, intuitive connections to the transit tunnel below. Seattle Center patrons can easily and quickly avoid congestion after an event by accessing downtown’s Northgate Bellevue Stadium Issaquah To reach the capacity goals for the line, certain existing high capacity transportation infrastructure Mercer improvements (e.g., automated ticketing and fare via the Monorail - Metro buses, Link train lines, Island Roosevelt protected bike facilities, parking garages and the AngleBeacon Lake Kent/Renton gates) will also be needed at the Seattle Center SoDo Federal Way station. street grid - all designed for higher capacity than Hill Tacoma Figure 1b: Northgate Station projected connection in 2021. available in the Uptown area. Delridge U District Proposed improvements to the station platforms Downtown Mount Baker and circulation spaces can reduce headways (the Avalon University of Redmond average interval of time between trains departing a Lynnwood WNorthgateashington station) at peak times from the current 5 minutes to Everett UW Campus Alaska Columbia City Redmond 2.5 minutes, effectively increasing ridership capacity Junction Kirkland SE Redmond to 6,000 per hour in each direction, or 12,000 Seattle Spring riders per hour in total. Center Redmond Technology Center S Graham St District/2023Bel-Red/ Accessible, easy connections to Westlake, downtown, Capitol 120th 130th Overlake Village and regional transit OthelloHill Wilburton REDMOND High speed, high capacity elevators at the plaza Westlake TECHNOLOGY CENTER in front of Westlake Center will provide excellent Rainier Beach visibility and ease of connection from the Monorail Bellevue DOWNTOWN BELLEVUE to the street, the regional bus system, and Link Light University St Downtown Rail. DOWNTOWN S Boeing Access Rd SEATTLE A stairway connecting to the Westlake Center mall Pioneer Square Tukwila/ East Main balcony and Monorail platform will provide surge Int’l Blvd MICROSOFT CAMPUS capacity and restore the balcony as civic space that South Station Int’l District/ Judkins BELLEVUE contributes to the vibrancy of the city. Chinatown Park Bellevue Destination Overall, improvements create better accessibility, SeaTac/Airport visibility and intuitive connections for ease of access Stadium Mercer and transfer. Island Connections Angle Lake AngleBeacon Lake Kent/Renton SoDo Federal Way Hill Tacoma SeaTac Airport FigureDelridge 1c: Eastside projected connection in 2023; contingent on outcomes of Metro’s 520 Connections project. The blue line represents ST2. Kent/Des Moines Seattle Center Monorail Mount Baker Avalon Monorail Reconfiguration Evaluation Report June 2018 4 Seattle Streetcar S 272nd Alaska Columbia City Junction Sounder/Amtrak Federal Way Tacoma Link S Graham St Washington State Ferries/ South Federal Way Othello King County Water Taxi Rainier Beach Map is not to scale Tacoma East Fife S Boeing Access Rd soundtransit.org Dome Tacoma Tukwila/ Int’l Blvd Station Destination Not an ocial Sound Transit map SeaTac/Airport Copyright c 2017 Steve Boland, calurbanist.com Connections Angle Lake SeaTac Airport Kent/Des Moines Seattle Center Monorail Seattle Streetcar S 272nd Sounder/Amtrak Federal Way Tacoma Link Washington State Ferries/ South Federal Way King County Water Taxi Map is not to scale Tacoma East Fife soundtransit.org