Port of Seattle offers site to save Waterfront Streetcar

The Port of Seattle today offered a plan to save the Waterfront Trolley by providing a new site for the trolley barn as well as adding a route extension to add thousands of new riders to the system.

Port Commissioner Paige Miller said the Port is offering land for the trolley barn on Port property near the Terminal 86 grain terminal, and will arrange for the track extension through Port-owned land.

"By proposing this solution, we hope to keep open a transit line that serves more than 400,000 riders each year, is the spine of our waterfront economy and helps to ensure Seattle-area residents will be able to enjoy a scenic waterfront park by 2006," Miller said.

Miller said the extension not only would mean the trolley could keep operating, but it would also serve workers in the businesses along Elliott Avenue West, the new Amgen campus and residents and businesses on Lower Queen Anne.

The announcement was made today at a press conference near the trolley barn by Miller and Commission President Bob Edwards.

The Waterfront Trolley, operated by King County Metro, faces closure because its current maintenance facility is on land that is to be come part of the Seattle Art Museum's Olympic Sculpture Park.

Miller said the Port decided to step in because keeping the trolley alive supports the Port's role as a regional transportation leader, and because of the Port's interest in a vital and lively waterfront.

"Extending the line northwards means we can take advantage of the pedestrian bridge the city will be building at Thomas Street. About 7,000 people work in the businesses along Elliott Avenue, and another 8,000 work in lower Queen Anne Hill. We have the potential to bring the trolley to within a few steps of thousands of residents and workers, providing easy access to downtown and the waterfront," Miller said.

Amgen, a global leader in biotechnology and drug research, currently employs about 850 at its campus, with the potential to grow to 2,400 in the future. A significant percentage of Amgen's workers already use transit - 34 percent - and the company operates a shuttle to bring additional workers from downtown to the campus.

The proposed extension also would mean the trolley could keep operating when the Alaskan Way Viaduct is replaced.

Port Commission President Bob Edwards said the Port is extremely concerned about the possible loss of waterfront trolley service and the effect on waterfront businesses and employment.

"The Port is uniquely positioned to offer this solution, with our ownership of land and our experience in creating successful partnerships with local governments, the private sector and the community," he said. "The public clearly has spoken, and they want George Benson's legacy to live on uninterrupted."

Miller said talks with City of Seattle, Metro and directors of the Seattle Art Museum will be scheduled over the coming weeks to forge a solution that is economically viable and keeps the construction schedule of the Sculpture Park intact.