For The Sake of Six Minutes

I attended the first of several planned public workshops concerning the impact of the Washington State Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) Point Defiance Rail Bypass Project.

As you know, the project proposes to reroute Amtrak passenger trains from its current Point Defiance route to the existing rail line which runs along the west side of I-5 through South Tacoma, Lakewood and DuPont. 

Currently, seven daily round trips, non-stop passenger trains at a maximum speed of 79 miles per hour with an average crossing time of 45 seconds per intersection are planned. 

The underlying premise is that the bypass will save Amtrak six minutes of travel time. 

Six minutes. 

Give City Hall and City Council credit for filing a law suit in March of this year to stop this proposed rerouting.

Lakewood’s legal challenge contends WSDOT violated state statutes that required the review because they reached a decision “which was not based on sufficient or adequate information with respect to a number of impacts.”

That said, city officials acknowledge there is no guarantee they will be successful in its suit to stop the project. 

Hence, they are gathering input to determine what other actions – “mitigations” is the word – the city can take as it continues to challenge the project.

What follows is a sample of what folks – most of whom were from Tillicum - had to say during the workshop.

One individual pointed out that the trains would pass within 20 feet of his business.

Someone wondered aloud about the seismic damage that could occur to property along the proposed route, to say nothing of the noise pollution at all times of the day and night.

Another person said his property would be devalued because of the increase in train traffic.  “Who would buy my house with this to contend with?” he asked.

I wondered who at WSDOT would be willing to buy and then live in that man’s house.

I doubt that person would put his or her money where the study is.

A third individual asked that if in the event of a train accident (anything from a car on the tracks, or a person being hit by a train, to a derailment) what financial responsibilities do Amtrak and WSDOT owe the city?  Moreover, what procedures need to be created for coordination of the city’s first responders should a major accident occur?

Another attendee asked if an economic analysis had been conducted to determine if the proposed rerouting would have a negative impact on Lakewood’s businesses.

What if a train blocks intersections for hours, effectively cutting the city in two?   Lost business profits mean less business tax revenues.

The safety of children, the economic consequences to the city, and the devaluation of property values, especially in Tillicum – the area of Lakewood to be most affected by the trains’ rerouting – were repeatedly stressed.

And yet WSDOT and the Federal Railroad Administration’s environmental assessment determined that the Point Defiance Bypass Project would not result in significant adverse impacts to the environment.

The “environment” is our homes, our children, our schools and our businesses.  This rail project will hurt Lakewood for the sake of six minutes of saved travel time.

If I am given the privilege of serving as your next council member, I will work hard and collaboratively with city officials and fellow council members in promoting the safety and economic interests of Lakewood to defeat or, at the very least, significantly lessen the effects of this project.