Sammamish presents three Sahali Way alternatives; council asks for cost, traffic and geotech detail

City staff presented three refined alternatives for the Sahali Way Corridor study to the Sammamish City Council on Sept. 2, asking the council to review tradeoffs among transit access, pedestrian and bicycle comfort, and corridor cost and resilience.

The corridor matters because Sahali Way is the city’s only direct transit connection to East Link light rail in Redmond, staff said. Audrey Starcey, the city’s public works director, told council: “we heard all of your great comments and inquiries” and that staff will return Oct. 7 with a recommended preferred alternative and more analysis.

The study packages include: Alternative A, a transit- and safety-focused approach with minimal widening (estimated $20.8 million); Alternative B, adding continuous sidewalk and pedestrian separation (about $37.5 million); and Alternative C, a full multimodal option with separated bike facilities and multiple roundabouts (about $78.9 million).…