The Seattle Transit Blog reports today that the Legislature has not funded a transportation project that, in STB’s opinion, would delay ST2 East Link Light Rail:

“March 25, 2009 at 1:30 pm

Legislature Blocks East Link

Today at 12:30, the state Senate Transportation Committee released their 2009-2011 budget proposed project list (see LEAP Transportation Document 2009-1, Highway Projects).

R8A, the I-90 HOV lane project that MUST be complete for East Link to be built, is completely missing. This blocks a $4.5 billion investment that we’ve already funded.

On the other hand, there’s plenty of money for I-405 widening, a project regional voters voted against in the 2007 Roads & Transit measure.

If no change is made here immediately, this decision will delay East Link, as well as up the price tag by hundreds of millions for every year of delay.”

Regardless, is there something we don’t know about the future viability of getting light rail across a floating bridge (never been done in the world)?

Is the Washington State budget so bad that delaying the project is necessary? STB doesn’t mention that because of the economy, Sound Transit’s tax projections are reported to be $2.1 Billion short. Click here

Are all of the East Link B segments so problematic (huge environmental concerns, condemnations, transportation & business impacts in Downtown Bellevue if B3 is utilized, historical impacts to numerous resources on the National Register of Historic Places & eligible properties, etc) that  none of them are affordable to mitigate?

Is it a glaring omission by legislators?

More to come…