Seattle worry over traffic squeeze

The proposed site for the new SODO stadium borders land owned by the port and commissioners are concerned that the development may exacerbate serious traffic problems that already exist in the area.

Port commissioners have sent a letter to the Seattle City and King County Councils outlining the concerns, in which port president, Gael Tarleton, points out that stadium developer (ArenaCo) has so far presented “no compelling policy or business justification” for urgent action in pushing the proposal through.

Mr Tarleton warns of the danger of rushing ahead with a proposal which has not been fully studied and could potentially weaken port and industrial businesses that support 33,000 jobs, provide one third of Seattle’s retail tax revenue and generate US$3bn per year in revenue to the region.

An early impact study has revealed that port related traffic is already forced to compete with general traffic – not practical when on an average workday there are 5,000 truck trips taking place at the ports’ container terminals. This is without the additional traffic that a new stadium would generate, squeezing the delicate infrastructure to breaking point.

A spokesperson from the Port of Seattle told Port Strategy that: “Though this initial study was understandably limited in scope given the brief study period, it offers a starting point for the city and county councils as they consider the agreement before them.”

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the councils and the developer for the new public-private owned stadium promises to allow plenty of time for transport investment analysis, traffic congestion, industrial land use and impacts on jobs and city tax revenues associated with the proposal.