Eastside Rail Now whose goal is to maintain the railroad presence and use the railroad for regional commuter transportation, proposed to the Bellevue City Council in May The Grand Esplanade.
The Grand Esplanade as describe is a:
“Elegant, tree-lined walkway (which) would extend from downtown Bellevue’s existing pedestrian corridor eastward, past City hall on the south and The Bravern and Meydenbauer Convention Center on the north across a graceful new bridge over the I-405 freeway, past a signature commuter rail station 120th Ave., and perhaps eventually all the way up the low rise to the east.”
The suggested walkways would feature “state-of-the-art” moving sidewalks. To add to the comfort of these moving walkways, the idea of glass coverings to the walkways has been suggested, similar to the Mid-levels Escalator system in Hong Kong.
With the weather that is common in Bellevue (rain and wind), this seems (setting all costs aside) like a great idea. This would motivate people to walk Downtown. The concept would break down yet another barrier for those to commute into the city.
Mid-levels Escalator System in Hong Kong
Bellevue wouldn’t even approve needed mid block crossings because it may slow down traffic, it’s hard to image them doing it for NE 8th…
An overpass over NE 8th would be a good option, albeit an expensive one.
This is a real long shot and has many problems.
Who will pay the power bill? (let alone the construction costs? Anything like this should be paid for by those who will receive the benefits – Kemper Development and the folks at The Braver – not the residents of our fine City.
How many people will be willing to stand outside in the winter(even if on a covered and moving walkway) for the time it would take to make it that far?