Already the second largest urban core in Washington and the major destination on the Eastside, downtown Bellevue is in the midst of an unprecedented construction boom. The five construction cranes visible in this photograph represent only a fraction of the total number of cranes that are currently erecting high rise buildings downtown.

The Eastside railroad runs approximately one half mile behind the completed high rise buildings, which is comparable to -- or shorter than -- the distances between commuter rail terminals and the main downtown employment centers for many U.S. cities. A station at N.E. 8th Street would allow convenient access to downtown Bellevue via a shuttle or circulator bus service, and it could also be a pleasant walk to most of downtown if a pedestrian bridge or lid were constructed over the parallel I-4-5 freeway. (Image: Eastside Rail Now!)