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Issaquah receives multimodal I‑90 crossing study; council asks staff to attach memorandum of concerns

City Council of Issaquah · November 18, 2025

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Summary

The council voted unanimously Nov. 17 to receive the Central Issaquah multimodal I‑90 Crossing Study and direct staff to attach a memorandum outlining council concerns. The study’s preferred alignment runs 11th Ave NW to 11th Ave NW and carries a planning‑level cost estimate of roughly $110 million.

Issaquah staff presented the Central Issaquah multimodal I‑90 Crossing Study and a recommended preferred alignment (11th Ave NW to 11th Ave NW). Deputy City Administrator Andrea Leonard and Senior Transportation Engineer Greg Lucas walked council through goals, evaluation criteria, feasibility constraints (groundwater, grade and property impacts), outreach, and tradeoffs between alternatives.

Greg Lucas said the preferred option performs best on the study’s criteria and avoids some ground‑condition challenges that made other alignments more costly or technically risky. "The initial planning level cost estimate for the full project is approximately 110,000,000," he said, while noting that the figure is not adjusted for inflation and that 2040 construction costs could be significantly higher.

Council members acknowledged the study as a thorough piece of planning work but voiced strong concerns about cost, pedestrian/bicycle accessibility on an elevated crossing, the potential for a large parking structure associated with a terminal light‑rail station and the level of community engagement. Multiple councilors described the action as a 'bookmark' to preserve the study findings for future decisions rather than a commitment to build. Andrea Leonard reiterated that acceptance of the study and a preferred alignment would not obligate the city to construct the project.

By unanimous vote the council moved to receive the study and directed staff to prepare and file a memorandum of council concerns to be included with the study record. Councilors asked staff to emphasize community engagement, pedestrian and bicycle connectivity, integration with future Sound Transit station planning and realistic cost and funding pathways in the memorandum.

Next steps: Staff will close out the consultant contract, file the study with an attached council memorandum of concerns, proceed with the city’s separate station‑area study for light rail, and use the combined record to coordinate with Sound Transit and WSDOT on future decisions.