Watt/I-80 Station Walk-through

Great Turnout at the Watt/I-80 Station Walk-through on Saturday, October 28, 2017.

Here are some of our observations:

• One of the biggest complaints about Watt/I-80 is the constantly broken elevator. RT said it will cost $1 million to replace.

• Health and safety hazards due to cleanliness

• The station's design gives it dangerous, dark corners and bad sightlines.

• A shuttle bus picked up passengers with disabilities at the bus stop and drove them down to the light rail platform - a detour that added twelve minutes to their trip.

• The elevators are exposed to the elements, which is one reason they break down frequently. (The white specks in the elevator well are bird feathers and poop caught in netting.)

• We had to cross this eastbound 80 on ramp to get to a small island, where we waited to cross the westbound 80 on ramp.

• Sidewalks to get to station are in disrepair. Instead of an accessible curb cut, it has a bumpy asphalt slope. There's no sidewalk south of this corner, either, so people in wheelchairs can't access that side of the street.

What we would like to see happen at this station:

• Improved cleanliness

• Improves access for pedestrians

• Improved shelter (let's put in a coffee shop!)

• Some smart solutions to simple problems (enclose the elevators so they are not exposed to the elements)

• Did we mention improved cleanliness?

• Using overhead system to announce upcoming trains

• Better signage for where elevators are, how to get to other platform, what to do if the bus shuttle is operating

• Ticket Machines located in places that make sense, so that seniors, individuals with disabilities don't have to walk a mile to reach.