My Ideas for Monorail Routes My Ideas for Monorail Routes ROUTE NO. 1, DOWNTOWN SEATTLE TO WEST SEATTLE: This route would be the southern part of the route now being planned for the Seattle Monorail Project. Basically, it goes from Downtown Seattle, south past the Seahawks Football Stadium and Safeco Field, to Spokane St., then West to West Seattle. This part has been approved as part of the Green Line now in initial stages of design. This route could eventually be extended south through White Center to Burien. A possible routing would be south on California to Thistle, east on Thistle to 35th Ave. S.W., south on 35th to S.W. Roxbury St., east on Roxbury to 16th Ave. S.W., thence south on 16th Ave. S.W. and Ambaum Blvd. to Burien.
Monorail lines can provide a safe, cost-effective, high-speed rapid transit system for the region that includes Seattle, Everett, Tacoma, Bellevue, Redmond, and elsewhere in the Seattle Metropolitan area.
On this page I present some of my opinions about possible routes for a regional monorail system.
ROUTE NO. 2, DOWNTOWN SEATTLE TO BALLARD, CROWN HILL, NORTHGATE, AND LAKE CITY: This route is, in part, the northern part of the route now being planned by the Seattle Monorail Project. Basically this route goes north from Downtown Seattle, past the Seattle Center and Key Arena, then westerly to Elliott Ave. W., then northwest along Elliott Ave. W., across the Ship Canal, north along 15th Ave. N.W. to about N.W. 85th St. in the Crown Hill Neighborhood in Seattle. The Seattle Monorail Project would have the route terminate at that point. This part has been approved as part of the Green line now in initial stages of design, with service scheduled to begin in 2007.
ROUTE NO. 2X, EXTENSION TO NORTHGATE AND LAKE CITY: I would like to see the Green Line continue from its proposed terminus at 15th Ave. N.W. and N.W. 85th St. north along 15th Ave. N.W., then northeast along Holman Road N.W. to Greenwood Ave. N., then east along N. 105th St. and N. Northgate Way to someplace east of Aurora Ave. N., where the monorail would then deviate gradually toward the south and go down the hill east and south to Meridian and to the north end of North Seattle Community College, near Meridian Ave. N. and N. 97th St. There would be a station here for NSCC, then the monorail line would continue east and north across the Interstate 5 freeway to the Northgate Transit Center, where there would be a major station for transfer to busses, park-and-ride, and the Northgate Shopping Center. From the Northgate Transfer Center the monorail would go east and north to follow 5th Ave. N.E. north to Northgate way, then east on Northgate Way to Lake City Way N.E. What happens here depends on whether route number 4 is built. Without route 4, route 2 would continue north along Lake City Way. However if route 4 is build, route 4 would be going north along Lake City Way, so in that case route 2 would end near Northgate Way and Lake City Way at a station that would be a transfer point between the two monorail routes.
ROUTE NO. 3, DOWNTOWN SEATTLE TO RAINIER VALLEY, SOUTHCENTER, AND SEATAC AIRPORT: This route would be built instead of the southern part of the Link light rail line. It would begin at the Safeco Field station of the Green Line (my route no. 1), then east on S. Dearborn St. to Rainier Ave. S., south on Rainier Ave. S. and Martin Luther King Jr. Way S. to the Boeing Access Road, then west on the Boeing Access Road, then south on East Marginal Way S., then southerly on Interurban Ave. S. to Strander Blvd, west to and through Southcenter Mall, then north to parallel Interstate 405 westerly to International Blvd. S., then southerly along International Blvd to Sea-Tac Airport, with a station in, or adjacent to, the airport terminal building.
ROUTE NO. 4, DOWNTOWN SEATTLE TO THE UNIVERSITY DISTRICT AND LAKE CITY: This route would replace the proposed northern part of Link light rail. It would begin at the Denny Way station of the Green Line, then go east along Denny Way, then north along Westlake Ave. N., then east along Mercer St. or Valley St. to Fairview, then north along Fairview Ave. and Eastlake Ave. to the University District and the University of Washington. From the University District the monorail would go north to Lake City Way N.E. and follow that street through Lake City and eventually to Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, Bothell, and Woodinville. The portion of this route from the University District to Lake City approximates a portion of the Gold Line of the Seattle Monorail Project.
ROUTE NO. 5, DOWNTOWN SEATTLE TO GEORGETOWN, SEATAC, FEDERAL WAY, AND TACOMA: This route would go south from Downtown Seattle, possibly following route no. 1 as far as S. Spokane St., but then this route would continue south along East Marginal Way S., past the Boeing plant, and along Pacific Highway S. to Seatac Airport, and on south along Pacific Highway S. through Federal Way and Fife to Tacoma. A portion of this route approximates a portion of the Seattle Monorail Project's Blue Line.
ROUTE NO. 6, DOWNTOWN SEATTLE TO FREMONT AND NORTH ALONG AURORA: This route would start out along 5th Ave. N. up East Queen Anne to McGraw, then west to 3rd Ave. W., and north along 3rd Ave. W. to serve Seattle Pacific University, then across the Ship Canal and east to the Fremont District, then north on Fremont Ave. N. to the South Entrance of Woodland Park Zoo, then east to Aurora Ave. N. and follow Aurora Ave. N. northward through North Seattle, Shoreline, Edmonds, Lynnwood, and eventually to Everett and Marysville. This route would be the main regional high-speed route from the north, and in order to maximize its effectiveness, it may be better to run it straight down Aurora Ave. N. into Downtown Seattle rather than via Fremont, S.P.U., and Queen Anne Hill as I suggested at the beginning of this paragraph. In this case it may be possible to serve the Fremont, S.P.U., and Queen Anne areas with PRT. This route is similar to the northern portion of the Blue Line of the Seattle Monorail Project.
ROUTE NO. 7, THE GREEN RIVER VALLEY ROUTE: This route would connect to either route no. 3 at the Boeing Access Road or route no. 5 at East Marginal Way and the Boeing Access Road. The Green River Valley route would follow East Marginal Way S. to Interurban Ave. S., then Interurban Ave. S. and the West Valley Highway south through Kent, Auburn, and Sumner to Puyallup, then west to Tacoma.
ROUTE NO. 8, DOWNTOWN SEATTLE TO ISSAQUAH: This route would cross the Interstate 90 bridge and serve Mercer Island, Factoria, Eastgate, and Issaquah.
ROUTE NO. 9, RENTON, FACTORIA, BELLEVUE, KIRKLAND, BOTHELL/WOODINVILLE: This route would go from Renton to Factoria and essentially follow Bellevue Way and Lake Washington Blvd. from Factoria to Bothell/Woodinville. It would tie in with routes 4, 8, and 10.
ROUTE NO. 10, BELLEVUE TO REDMOND: Would begin at a station serving Bellevue Square and the Bellevue Transit Center on route number 9, and follow Bel-Red Road to the Overlake area, then north on 156th Ave. N.E. through the Microsoft campus to N.E. 40th St., then east to Redmond.
ROUTE NO. 11, 520 BRIDGE ROUTE: If a new SR 520 bridge is built, I think monorail should be incorporated in the design. This route would connect with route 4 in Seattle, route 9 at the Kirkland/Bellevue boundary, and would roughly follow Northup Road to connect with route 10 in Overlake.
ROUTE NO. 12, CAPITOL HILL AND BEACON HILL: This route would roughly follow the proposed Gold Line of the Seattle Monorail Project, following 10th Ave. E. and Broadway on Capitol Hill and Beacon Ave. S. on Beacon Hill, to interconnect the University of Washington and Renton via Skyway.
ROUTE NO. 13, SHILSHOLE TO MAGNUSON PARK: The proposed Purple Line of the Seattle Monorail Project. Would start around Shilshole Marina or Golden Gardens Park and roughly follow Shilshole Way, N.W. Market Street, N. 45th St., N.E. 45th St., and Sandpoint Way N.E. to provide east-west service.
ROUTE NO. 14, SOUTH PARK TO RAINIER VALLEY: Essentially the proposed Red Line of the Seattle Monorail Project. Would begin at the White Center Station of Route No. 1X, the Green Line Extension, and go roughly east to serve South Park, the Boeing industrial area, and Rainier Beach.
Return to my Mass Transit home page
Return to the Fleming Family home page
©2002 Robert M. Fleming Jr.
This page was last updated 13 March 2003.