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by Yonah Freemark
yfreemark (at) thetransportpolitic (dot) com

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In Seattle, as in Most Cities, Transit Works Best When It's Not Highway-Bound

» Sound Transit advances plans for East Link light rail; Bellevue council member leads push for I-405 alignment.

In few places in the country is the choice between a quality transit alignment and a miserable one as stark as in Bellevue, Washington, through which light rail trains from Seattle will run by 2020.

The Puget Sound’s Central Link light rail line opened last year between downtown Seattle and SeaTac Airport.

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Mayoral Elections Highlight Controversies Over Transit Provision

» Third in a series of three articles on today’s elections. The first considered governor’s races; the second reviewed ballot measures.

In six big cities across the country — Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Miami, New York, and Seattle — transportation is playing a role in the mayoral race being decided today. With the economic crisis front and center, however, transit isn’t anyone’s biggest priority.

Mayor of Atlanta, GA

Mary Norwood vs. Kasim Reed vs. Lisa Borders (front-runners in a nonpartisan race)

Update: Mary Norwood, with 46%, and Kasim Reed, with 36%, have moved

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Seattle’s East Link: I-90 or SR520?

Seattle East Link Alignment Map

» A shift to SR520 could be a big step back, but Mayoral candidate McGinn wants both, starting with I-90. Is he promising too much?

In a Wednesday night mayoral debate, candidates for the post of Mayor of Seattle Mike McGinn and Joe Mallahan debated the future of the SR520 bridge, which connects Seattle and Bellevue over Lake Washington. Mr. McGinn, who has run a strong pro-transit campaign, suggested running light

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A Month Before Elections, Seattle Approves Plan for First Hill Streetcar

Seattle First Hill Streetcar Map» Candidate Mike McGinn presents strongly pro-transit platform, while opponent Joe Mallahan’s interest in new capital investment is limited.

The Seattle political establishment was shocked by the failure of Mayor Greg Nickels to make it past primary elections in August. Mr. Nickels faced strong competition on both his right and left, from executive Joe Mallahan, who promoted an efficient, business-friendly platform, and from environmentalist Mike McGinn, who argued that

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Seattle's Light Rail Opens, Redefining Life in the City

Seattle Central Link Light Rail Map14-mile project is the first in a number of planned lines for Seattle.

It’s been a long time since voters approved funding for Seattle’s first light rail line, but the city’s citizens finally got their chance to ride a modern public transportation system this weekend. Sound Transit’s Central Link line, connecting downtown with Tukwila, is the culmination of decades of work intended to make alternative transportation work in the city, and its opening

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Bellevue Wants Underground Tunnel for Link LRT, but Microsoft Balks

Bellevue Light Rail Options MapCut-and-Cover or bored tunnel would add hundreds of millions to the cost, but Seattle suburb thinks it’s worth the cost

King County, Washington’s voters approved a massive expansion for light rail in the region last November, agreeing to pay an additional sales tax for new lines heading north, south, and east built by Sound Transit. Seattle’s first light rail line, dubbed Central Link and running from downtown to the airport, is currently under construction, with

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