Public invited to sound off about Sound Transits bus, light rail plans
Published 7:59 pm Friday, June 5, 2015
EVERETT — Anyone who loathes I-5 traffic — and we all do — has a few chances this month to talk to Sound Transit staff about long-term improvements.
A series of meetings in Everett, Seattle, Redmond, Federal Way and Tacoma aim to familiarize people with some of the ideas for expanding light rail and rapid bus routes. People also can leave feedback with Sound Transit through an online survey, www.soundtransit3.org.
“Our region is home to 70 percent of our state’s economic activity and 97 percent of its congestion. Between 2010 and 2014 alone, congestion delays on I-5 nearly doubled,” said Paul Roberts, an Everett city councilman who serves as the vice chairman of Sound Transit’s board. “Expanding light rail will protect our economy by ensuring businesses want to locate and expand here. It will also help us control carbon emissions and pollution to our air and water.”
The meeting in Everett is scheduled from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. June 18 at Everett Station, 3201 Smith Ave.
Proposed upgrades in Snohomish County include light-rail routes to downtown Everett via Paine Field plus another stop near Everett Community College. Sound Transit also is looking into a new bus line down I-405, starting in Lynnwood, that could travel in its own lane separated from traffic gridlock.
Commuters need to be patient, though; the current proposals aren’t expected to materialize until the early 2030s. And that’s supposing everything goes smoothly.
First, Sound Transit needs approval from the Legislature to raise $15 billion to pay for the next phase of expansion, known as Sound Transit 3 or ST3. Then, voters need to approve a tax package. A ballot measure possible for November 2016 would authorize increases in sales tax, car-tab fees and property taxes.
People in Everett and southwest Snohomish County have been paying taxes for nearly 20 years on the promise that light-rail service would reach their communities some day. A segment from Northgate to Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace, approved as part of voter-approved tax increases from 2008, is expected to be in service in 2023.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.
Say your piece.
Let Sound Transit know which mass transit projects, such as new light-rail segments and rapid bus routes, should be included in the next phase of expansion. You can take an online survey or stop in for meetings scheduled in Everett and other cities. The agency hopes to put a tax measure on the ballot in November 2016 to pay for the work.
Survey www.soundtransit3.org.
The Everett meeting is scheduled from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. June 18 at Everett Station, 3201 Smith Ave.
Other meetings in Seattle and on the Eastside (all from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., except as noted):
Seattle: June 16, Union Station, 401 S. Jackson St.
Redmond: June 23, Redmond Marriott, 7401 164th Ave. NE
Seattle (daytime): 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. June 25, Union Station, 401 S. Jackson St.
