Update: Light Rail Along I-5, Informational Meetings Coming Up Next Week

Sound Transit is encouraging community members to stop by several meetings in Shoreline and Edmonds next week to get a look at potential light rail station and alignment locations between Northgate and Lynnwood.

The Shoreline meetings will take place 4-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 14 at the , 19290 Aurora Ave. N., 4-6:30 p.m. Thursday March 15 at the , 345 N.E. 175th St., and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday March 16, , 1201 N. 175th St. 

Another event will be held in Edmonds March 17 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Top Food Market Street Café, 21900 Highway 99.

The new light rail line that Sound Transit is preparing to build along the I-5 corridor is part of the Sound Transit 2 extensions to the north, east and south approved by voters in 2008.

Shoreline is expected to get

The informal lunchtime and evening gatherings offer a chance for residents to talk with staff and help inform the process of developing an environmental impact statement.

In 2011, more than 1,500 community members provided input on technology for serving communities between Northgate and Lynnwood with high capacity transit. In December, the Sound Transit Board narrowed the options to a light rail alignment along the I-5 corridor.

Sound Transit is now examining route and station alternatives as it prepares a draft environmental impact statement, which is required before the project can evolve from the planning phase to engineering and construction.

This next round of analysis and public outreach will examine the benefits and impacts of the alternatives to help determine the best location for stations and tracks.

Carefully selected criteria, such as station accessibility and property impacts, will be used to ensure the most important questions are asked and answered.

For more information go to: soundtransit.org/NCTP.