A Cascadia Center-supported idea, a 42-mile rail and trail BNSF corridor from Snohomish to Renton has been listed as one of several alternatives in the Puget Sound Regional Council's long-range transportation plan, "Transportation 2040."

The Cascadia Center was disappointed the corridor was not listed in more than one alternative. Based on the experience of the 70-mile, $540 million Sonoma-Marin (Calif.) commuter rail and trail corridor that Cascadia Center featured during Cascadia Rail Week in Seattle and Portland in May, we felt that the BNSF line should get greater attention.

By melding the corridor with East Link light rail from Seattle to Redmond, Eastside communities could be linked suburb-to-suburb, as well as suburb-to-Seattle and with a tremendous trail network! The Cascadia Center is communicating their concern to the PSRC by the new deadline for comments, July 31.

(Comments to PSRC: transportation2040@psrc.org or an online comment form can be completed and sent.) And for those of you who missed the Sonoma-Marin team, The Cascadia Center is sponsoring a field trip to the Sonoma- Marin line on September 24-25.

Of course, Transportation 2040 is about much more than just an Eastside corridor. It is ultimately about how to make smart surface transportation choices in the future, especially in light of major expected growth.

That challenge brings up many other issues such as tolling, replacement of the gas tax in the future with a vehicle miles traveled fee, safety and congestion relief. For a review of our position on corridor highway tolling, please see Cascadia's Website.

Cascadia Center - July Update