For the Reporter
The Sound Transit 3 (ST3) proposal on the November’s ballot is a significant and complex question for all who are concerned about the future of the growing region.
Because the issue is so complex that the League of Women Voters is sponsoring a forum in each sub-area of the Sound Transit district. The forum for the South King County Sub-Area is 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, at All Saints’ Church, 27225 Military Road, Auburn.
Speakers will include Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff; Shefali Ranganathan, executive director of Transportation Choices Coalition, speaking in favor of the measure; and Maggie Fimia, People for Smarter Transit – No on ST3, speaking in opposition. There will be an opportunity for the public to ask questions.
If passed by the voters in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties, the ST3 measure would build a total of 62 miles of light rail with stations serving 37 new areas to the north, south, east and west of the existing light rail route. The proposal would also allow existing bus routes now caught in congestion and bottle-necks to run on the shoulders of freeways where possible.
The measure would provide $53.8 billion in investments funded through new voter-approved sales tax, Motor Vehicle Excise Tax (MVET) and property tax, with an estimated impact on typical adults of an additional $169 annual, or $14 monthly, costs.
In the South King County sub-area, $8.4 billion of the proposed total $53.8 billion in improvements would be used for:
• Light rail between Angle Lake and Federal Way by 2024
• I-405 and SR 518 bus rapid transit between Lynnwood and Burien by 2024
• An infill light rail Station at Boeing Access Road by 2031
• Sounder South improvements, including parking/access, 10 Car Platforms, and additional track and signals between 2024 and 2036
• Bus on Shoulder program implementation between 2019 and 2024
• Ongoing system-wide improvements using innovation, system access and transit-oriented development funds; expansion of express bus service; and studies of West Seattle to Burien, connecting to Renton via Tukwila.
Proponents of the proposition support the investment in infrastructure for the future, saying it creates a system that provides commuters options to help them avoid already congested freeways and prepares the region with high-capacity transit for the million more people moving here in the next 25 years.
Opponents of the measure argue that voters have already approved $22 Billion for ST1 and ST2 that builds 50 miles of light rail. They say that Sound Transit’s proposal will not reduce traffic, that there are better ways to provide more transit service and that even if built, the proposed plans only attract a fraction of the 19,000,000 trips we will be taking by all forms of transportation in 2040.
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government and influences public policy through education and advocacy. The League of Women Voters has not taken any position on ST3 and encourages voters to attend these forums to obtain substantial background for their voting choices.
To learn more about the measure, visit soundtransit.org.
