Sound Transit and its planning partners have published the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS) for the voter-approved East Link light rail line connecting downtown Seattle and the Eastside across Interstate 90.

Sound Transit has opened a 75-day public comment period on the Draft EIS, including the route alternatives examined in the study to inform the Board as it prepares to identify a preferred alternative next year.

East Link is Sound Transit’s voter-approved project to expand light rail from downtown Seattle to the Eastside with stations serving Mercer Island, south Bellevue, downtown Bellevue, the Bel-Red corridor, and Redmond’s Overlake area.

East Link will connect to the Link light rail system between downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport, currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2009.

The project also supports continued environmental review and preliminary engineering work on a future extension to downtown Redmond.

The East Link line will serve up to 48,000 daily riders with fast, frequent and reliable light rail service through one of the region’s most congested travel corridors. East Link is scheduled to open to downtown Bellevue in 2020 with service to Overlake by 2021.

The DEIS outlines 19 route alternatives with up to 13 stations. The study examines benefits and impacts associated with running the line on surface streets, on an elevated trackway or in a tunnel through portions of the alignment.

The Sound Transit Board is expected to identify a preferred alternative next spring and staff would then complete the final environmental impact statement to be published in 2010. A final decision on the project would be made in 2010 after the Final EIS is published.

The public comment period runs from Dec. 12 – Feb. 25, 2009.

To view Draft EIS documents online:

Executive Summary, East Link Project Draft EIS :

(http://www.soundtransit.org/Documents/pdf/projects/eastlink/deis/ExecSummary.pdf)

East Link Project Draft EIS complete document in .pdf format:

(http://www.soundtransit.org/x9959.xml)

The Draft EIS Executive Summary and a CD of the complete Draft EIS are available for free.

A printed copy of the Draft EIS, drawings and technical reports are available for a fee ($25 each for the Draft EIS or Drawing and Maps, and $15 for each technical report).

Contact Elma Borbe at (206)398-5445 or elma.borbe@soundtransit.org to request copies of any environmental documents.