WEST SEATTLE LIGHT RAIL: Neighborhood advocates take a tour looking at future Junction station area traffic flow

Sound Transit light rail is still nine years away from West Seattle, by the newest estimate. But it’s never too soon to start focusing on what it will change, beyond the guideways and tunnel. One point of concern has been a closure of SW Alaska near the West Seattle Junction station and how that will affect traffic flow on other streets. To talk that through, neighborhood advocates from around the peninsula were invited on a walking tour at midday today. Sound and Fog, steps from the future Junction station, was the starting point. One of the participants in part of the tour, Charlotte Starck of the Alki Community Council, took the photo above and says they began with questions and concerns such as “ensuring there was a pick-up and drop-off plan for cars, and understanding changes in parking and more details about the transit station and traffic flows around the affected areas” A participant in the full tour, Deb Barker of the Morgan Community Association, told us when asked for comment, “I personally learned that with the new station entrance at the NE corner of Alaska at 41st, intersections along Alaska will become 4-way stops (just like the new 4 way stops on Edmonds). It was made clear that all vehicles will be able to travel north and south on 40th., 41st and 42nd through the Alaska intersections. Light rail dropoff by personal vehicle will be in 41st – adjacent to the light rail station. Concerns voiced about site distance challenges on Oregon for pedestrians and drivers, and SDOT will be evaluating the need for stop signs and additional traffic calming on Oregon.”

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