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Green Line Extension
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One of the other lines planned for the future is the Blue Line, which would run south from Downtown through the industrial area west of Boeing Field, and north from Downtown roughly along Aurora Ave. N. to the Seattle City Limits at N. 145th St. If there is strong enough support for the line from cities north of Seattle, then I think this should be the next major line to be built (I am also pushing for an extension of the Green Line to Northgate, but this would be a smaller project only three miles long). However, even if Shoreline and possibly other cities approve of the Blue Line, there is one problem that would delay eventual opening of the line. The Blue Line would need to cross the Lake Washington Ship Canal over a high-level bridge someplace near the present Aurora Bridge. The construction of the bridge would delay opening of the project. My solution depends in part on the Northgate extension. If the Green Line is not extended to Northgate, then it would at least have to be extended from the Crown Hill station for about a mile northwest along Holman Road to Greenwood Ave. N., where there would be a switch. Northgate trains would go east onto N. 105th St. toward Northgate, and Shoreline trains would go north along Greenwood Ave. N. to the Seattle City Limits at N. 145th St., at which point the line would cross into Shoreline and follow the curve from Greenwood Ave. N. onto Westminster Way N. to Aurora Ave. N. just south of N. 160th St. Where the line makes the curve from Westminster Way onto Aurora, there would be another switch. Trains going north on Westminster Way would continue on north on Aurora to N. 205th St., by Aurora Village mall. The portion of the line along Aurora would be part of the Blue Line. Meanwhile, the Blue Line would also be built south on Aurora from the switch near N. 160th St. to the Fremont area, where it would temporarily terminate pending completion of the high-level bridge. At Aurora Ave. N. and N. 105th St. there would be a station where riders could transfer between the Blue Line and the Green Line, provided the Northgate Extension of the Green Line is completed. Of course there would be other stations along the Blue Line at locations to be determined, but some likely locations would be Woodland Park Zoo, North Green Lake, N. 85th St., N. 130th St., N. 145th St., N. 175th St., N. 185th St., The Shoreline Park-and-Ride near N. 195th St., and N. 200th/205th St. Of course if Edmonds approves a further extension, it would most likely continue north along Highway 99 through Edmonds, and with Lynnwood’s approval it could continue to approximately 180th St. S.W. Until the Blue Line is opened all the way into Downtown Seattle, most of the trains from the north would use the Westminster/Greenwood route and switch onto the Green Line for the trip downtown. Only a relatively few trains would use the Blue Line south of N. 160th St. Once the Ship Canal bridge is completed and the Blue Line is open all the way Downtown, most of the trains would use the entire length of the Blue Line as this route would be a faster way Downtown, and only a few trains would continue to use the Greenwood route onto the Green Line, primarily for riders going to Ballard, Interbay, or the Seattle Center. |
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©2003 Robert M. Fleming Jr.
This page was last updated 4 October 2004.