The Metro's Next Stop plan rolled out last week by King County Executive Girmay Zahilay eyes a 12% increase in bus service by 2038. But a presentation this week at the county council paints a more dire picture of Metro's financial outlook over the near term.
Around $90 million per year in additional funding will bolster King County's roads division thanks to the 5-4 vote, with a small pass-through program providing a slice of the pie to local cities and towns. A provision capping Seattle's cut of that funding was ultimately defeated.
A press briefing this week with CEO Dow Constantine clearly sought to assuage concerns that Sound Transit wouldn't be able to get all the way to Ballard. With a six- or seven-year "runway" to close a $7 to $9 billion gap, the pressure is clearly on to follow through on that commitment.
A 0.1% countywide sales tax hike is on deck for later this week, largely to fund road improvements outside cities and towns. Seattle city leaders are arguing that a proposed cap diverting several million dollars per year to other cities and towns is unfair.
Sound Transit's first head of "megaproject delivery" will depart after just over two years in the role. Terri Mestas' departure comes at a critical time, with significant attention on how Sound Transit will get the full voter-approved ST3 portfolio on track.
With a 0.15% sales tax bump, Seattle would be poised to see 100,000 more bus trips per year, boosting popular routes like the D Line and the 36. At a meeting Thursday, councilmembers got a deeper look at possible investments.
A push to allow housing in the Stadium District looked like it had been thwarted by a legal appeal and a shift on the Seattle City Council, but a new appeal from T-Mobile Park's facilities district is poised to reignite debate.
Installing fare gates at a focused number of light rail stations would pay for itself within two to five years and boost fare revenue by more than $30 million, according to Sound Transit. If given the green light later this year, gates could be in place by 2029 or 2030.
Even though the 4 Line was delayed from 2044 to 2050, Issaquah leaders including Mayor Mark Mullet hosted a community celebration Monday night. Mullet sees staying on the calendar as the first step in getting the timeline for the Eastside's next light rail line moved up.
Ruling in favor of two groups trying to reopen environmental review of Seattle's Comprehensive Plan, a state Court of Appeals has affirmed a major loophole in recent state laws intended to reduce barriers to urban housing development. The decision could have big impacts statewide.