BELLEVUE, Wash. — The first weekday commuters stepped aboard the East Link light rail on Monday morning. The new extension travels from South Bellevue to the Redmond Technology station.
It was a quiet morning on the light rail. However, local leaders and businesses are hopeful the new way to beat traffic will improve quality of life, help the economy and get more cars off the road.
"Not only is it transportation, I think it makes people's lives better," King County councilmember and Sound Transit board member Claudia Balducci said.
Developers invested in areas like the Spring District with the promise of light rail. It's brought housing, small businesses and major corporations.
"This is the moment of truth," the owner of Dote Coffee Bar, Sarah Doud, said.
Dote opened a location across from the Spring District station last fall.
"It's been pretty slow so far,” Doud said. “We opened in November. We've been hoping this new way to get here will bring new folks out here."
The success of small businesses opening near these new stations hinges on the tracks.
"They are going to see a lot of more foot traffic from people coming we expect 3-4,000 riders a day. That's a lot of foot traffic for a small business," Balducci said.
The city of Bellevue projects 30,000 new jobs and 15,000 new housing units over the next two decades.
"Walking distance to all our restaurants, museums and businesses,” Bellevue Mayor Lynne Robinson said. “I think it’s going to bring a lot of people in that haven't been able to come in easily before."
Small business owners like Doud are optimistic but know nothing is a guarantee.
"I try not to predict anything anymore. Anecdotally have had a lot of customers say they're super excited and will be riding that light rail right away," Doud said.
The rest of the East Link light rail that connects the east side to the 1 Line in Seattle, is scheduled to open in 2025, according to Sound Transit.