Kemper Freeman, Eastside Transportation Association Lose Interstate 90 Light Rail Lawsuit

Kemper Freeman and the Eastside Transportation Association have lost the latest court ruling on their effot to block Sound Transit's plans for light rail on Interstate 90.

A Kittitas County Superior Court judge dismissed their lawsuit this week, according to Publicola and the Seattle Times.

The Seattle Times reports that the plaintiffs have not yet decided whether to appeal the ruling.

Sound Transit plans to connect Seattle's Central Link with Bellevue and the Eastside's future , via building light rail line along Interstate 90 where the carpool lanes currently are. Sound Transit is expected to start construction of East Link in 2015 or 2016 and launch passenger service in 2023.

that it is illegal to use the Interstate 90 bridge for regional transit when it was paid by taxpayers statewide, which could open the door to a new legal challenge when the leases are finalized. Jim Horn, chairman of the board of the Eastside Transportation Association, told Patch last year that many of the technical and engineering issues of placing rail on a floating bridge could still be challenged.

Eastside Transportation Association advocates against light rail in favor of bus rapid transit as a faster, more flexible solution for mass transit, he said.

The State Supreme Court declined to hear the plaintiff's case last year, saying . The Seattle Times reports that the suit was then filed in Kittitas County Superior Court.

Get a PDF of the ruling from Publicola's website.

What do you think about this latest development in the effort to block Light rail from crossing Interstate 90?