Rob Saka Pushes to Decommission the South Lake Union Streetcar
Councilmember Rob Saka has put forward a budget amendment asking the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) for a plan to permanently cancel service on the South Lake Union Streetcar, which has operated since 2007. Councilmembers Bob Kettle and Cathy Moore have co-sponsored the amendment, which sets a deadline of next fall for “terminating South Lake Union Streetcar service, decommissioning South Lake Union Streetcar assets, and identifying alternative South Lake Union transit options.”
Another amendment sponsored by the same three councilmembers would also adjust the city’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) to remove the Center City streetcar along First Avenue, which had been long-planned to finally connect Seattle’s two disconnected lines. The maneuver would officially dash hopes of securing funding and reviving the stalled project, which was placed on hold by former Mayor Jenny Durkan in 2018.
Ryan Packer, The Urbanist, November 12, 2024
Photo: Ryan Packer
