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New study looks at traffic impact of KeyArena project

Seattle — Sarah Colton, who lives near KeyArena, is not too worried about what rebuilding the arena at Seattle Center will do to traffic.

"I think traffic is kind of a mess here already," Colton said. "I can't imagine it can't be all that worse, to be honest."

In fact, that's a key conclusion of a draft environmental impact statement that says, "traffic conditions in the study area are expected to worsen with or without the arena renovation" because of all the new development planned in the neighborhood.

Neighborhood groups plan to perform a detailed analysis of the new study.

"I hope that we keep the bar really high at looking at transportation and the arena and Seattle in general," said Deborah Fausto, of the Uptown Alliance.

A renovated arena could bring big events, such as pro hockey, basketball and concerts, 250 nights of the year.

The study predicts crowded transit, traffic from Mercer Street backed up onto I-5 and more jammed intersections before and, especially, after events.

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"You would see some congestion at intersections leading up to I-5 for up to an hour after an event," said Bryan Stevens, of the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections.

Arena developers said they'll spend $40 million on transportation.

The study includes such efforts to mitigate congestion as designating pickup zones for taxis, Uber and Lyft; giving people free monorail tickets so they'll park downtown; and letting drivers reserve a parking space in a garage before grabbing a shuttle.

The study found 8,200 parking spots within a half-mile of KeyArena, although that also counts surface like that are likely to be redeveloped.

A public hearing is scheduled for May 14.

If approval comes this fall, the arena could open in October 2020 in time for the NHL season.