BELLEVUE, Wash. — Only days remain until the opening of Sound Transit’s long-awaited Crosslake Connection, which will finally connect the light rail lines on both sides of Lake Washington.
In Bellevue, police are preparing for bigger crowds and the potential for bigger trouble.
“I really love my commute,” one light rail rider told KIRO 7, explaining that she drives from her home in Mercer Island to Bellevue, parks and rides the rail to her job in Redmond.
The extension means she will be able to walk straight from her house to a station and take the light rail all the way to work. No car, no traffic.
“It’s on my calendar with a bunch of stars,” she said.
Bellevue police believe a lot of people have that same idea.
“We are expecting a huge spike,” Officer Seth Tyler said.
The extension will connect Bellevue and Redmond to Seattle, Lynnwood, Federal Way, and all the places in between. That opens Bellevue up to a slew of new potential passengers.
“The Crosslake Connection is going to open up a huge number of stations to folks that will be able to commute to University of Washington, downtown Seattle, [and the] Sea-Tac Airport,” Tyler said.
To prepare for this, the city created BLU: the Bellevue Police Light Rail Unit. It’s made up of officers who ride the light rail back and forth across the city looking for trouble.
“Folks that are using narcotics, drinking on the train, that are engaged in disorderly conduct, that are bothering other people,” Tyler said.
Bellevue police said this is meant to be a proactive step aimed at providing an extra layer of security for riders.
“It’s a brand-new line, and we haven’t had any major issues yet,” Tyler said. “Hopefully it stays that way.”
The opening of the Crosslake Connection is set for March 28. It marks the final step in the completion of Sound Transit 2, which was approved by voters in 2008.