Sound Transit releases proposal for 58 miles of light-rail extensions

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor

A public involvement period will begin March 29 on an extensive Sound Transit Board proposal for responding to the region's chronic transportation challenges.

 

A Draft Sound Transit 3 Plan would deliver a steady succession of major light rail and other regional transit investments over the coming 25 years. It would complete the long-envisioned regional transit spine to Everett, Tacoma and downtown Redmond, while also adding new lines to the system reaching West Seattle, South Lake Union, Ballard and a new Eastside line linking downtown Bellevue, Eastgate and Issaquah.

“Sound Transit 3 delivers on the promise of a truly regional mass transit system for generations to come,” said Sound Transit Board Chair and King County Executive Dow Constantine. “The public input we receive will help us shape the best final plan that will be on the November ballot.”

By adding 58 miles of light rail and 39 stations, ST3 would establish a truly regional 108-mile system that connects cities from Everett to Tacoma and from Seattle to Issaquah, providing 525,000 people congestion-free service each day.

The Sound Transit Board’s meeting was followed by a news conference at which members emphasized the importance of future transit expansions. The draft plan responds to strong region-wide support for additional mass transit expansions as the region’s population grows by an estimated million residents through 2040. The projected growth is equivalent to adding the current combined populations of Seattle, Tacoma and Everett.

The launch of the public involvement period will include an online survey at soundtransit3.org and the announcement of a series of public meetings around the region. A map of the draft plan is available at the website, along with information spanning the benefits of the plan and the more than two-year process. By the time the public input period launches, the map will be updated with interactive features allowing visitors to explore the draft plan’s details.

The $50-billion in investments would be funded through new voter-approved sales, MVET and property taxes. The estimated additional annual and monthly costs of the new taxes for a typical adult in the Sound Transit District are the same: approximately $200 annually or $17 a month.

The projects would be delivered in steady succession over the plan’s 25-year period. The timeline reflects the significant time requirements for building major infrastructure projects and the scale of the light-rail extensions and capital investments, which are more than double Sound Transit’s first two phases. The major investments require revenues collected over the full 25-year period, as well as bond sales and federal funding.

Investments in the ST3 plan include Sounder Commuter Rail. The Draft Plan contains a capital improvement program that will enable Sounder to continue to grow to meet expected demand in the south end. First and foremost, the system would extend further south to DuPont, providing a new transit option near Joint Base Lewis-McChord and moving the southern terminus closer to the state capitol. Other improvements would include increasing train capacity, enhancing service and improving customer access to stations as ridership growth continues. Access to Sounder service in the north corridor would expand through increased parking.

 

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