By Warren Cornwall
Herald Writer
The transportation money crunch is pitting cars against bikes and pedestrians.
The Snohomish County Council is considering shelving several bike and walking path projects and shifting the money to road-widening projects endangered by funding shortfalls.
As tax dollars for local roads become scarcer and traffic worsens, the county should consider emphasizing dealing with traffic bottlenecks and road safety problems, county council chairman Gary Nelson said.
"We have a major problem on priorities," he said of the current funding arrangement.
Part of that change means money now earmarked for pathways may be destined for road projects that lost funding in the wake of Initiative 747. The statewide initiative capped increases in property tax collections to 1 percent per year, while the county had been counting on a 6 percent annual increase to finance transportation projects.
"What we’re looking for is a way of living with the impacts of I-747," council analyst Ann Good told the council at a meeting Wednesday afternoon.
The changes would have little immediate impact on any projects. The paths weren’t due for construction until 2003 or later. The county also has money to continue planning the road projects, but not to build them when the planning is done.
The changes suggest a shifting attitude about transportation priorities on the council. The new council, with a Republican majority, is eyeing spending plans approved by a previous council controlled by Democrats. Any final changes would need to be approved in a vote by the council following a public hearing.
The $5 million that could be funneled from the path projects would pay for only part of the $27.3 million planned for road projects between this year and 2007. Final construction costs on the road work is expected to exceed $60 million.
Under the plan considered by the council, $4.4 million more would come from an increase in fees charged to new development. Another $171,000 would come by canceling public funding for improvement of the narrow Silverton Bridge off the Mountain Loop Highway. Local residents could pay for it through a local improvement district.
Even with that, the county would still be counting on millions in state or federal funds to complete the projects.
The proposal has sparked concerns among bicycling advocates.
They sounded the alarm chiefly about the county halting a plan to build a bicycle and pedestrian bridge spanning I-5 near 128th Street SE. Construction on that was scheduled to begin this year.
That project may be spared, however, because public works director Peter Hahn said he could probably cover the remaining costs with state and federal dollars, rather than county money.
Other path projects could also be kept on life support, fed small amounts of money until some other funding source comes along. That would enable the county to delay having to give back grant dollars the county has won to pay for part of the work, Hahn said.
Still, Michael Dahlstrom, a member of BIKES, a Snohomish County cycling club, urged the council to remember that bike paths offer an alternative for people trying to get around without using cars.
"It’s not just recreational. It’s solving some of our transportation problem," he said.
Several council members, however, were more concerned about motorists. Nelson urged Hahn not to hire someone for the 128th Street project until after a statewide vote on a gas tax increase. He said people would be angered at news that transportation dollars were being spent on bicycle paths.
"It’s tough to explain to people why am I spending $4 million on this when we have so many capacity projects," Nelson said.
You can call Herald Writer Warren Cornwall at 425-339-3463 or send e-mail to cornwall@heraldnet.com.
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