Sound Transit 3


Sound Transit 3, abbreviated as ST3, was a ballot measure during the November 2016 elections in Seattle, Washington, proposing an expansion of the regional public transit system. The measure was proposed by Sound Transit, which was established by a similar initiative passed in 1996 and expanded by the Sound Transit 2 vote in 2008, who have operated regional transit systems in the Seattle metropolitan area since 1999. On November 8, 2016, Sound Transit 3 was approved by over 54 percent of voters in the Puget Sound region; voters in Pierce County rejected the measure, but the measure passed in King and Snohomish counties, and had an overall majority.
The $53.8 billion Sound Transit 3 plan will expand the existing Link light rail system to the suburbs of Tacoma, Federal Way, Everett and Issaquah, as well as the Seattle neighborhoods of Ballard and West Seattle. The local portion of the measure would be partially funded by increases in sales tax, motor vehicle excise tax, and property tax. The use of the motor vehicle tax, which included an older depreciation scale for vehicles, became a source of major controversy after the measure was passed.
The resulting transit network after the completion of Sound Transit 3 is planned to include of additional light rail serving 37 new stations; the entire light rail system would carry an estimated 600,000 daily passengers. A Sounder commuter rail extension to DuPont and bus rapid transit lines on State Route 522 and Interstate 405 are also part of the package. The package's projects are set to open in stages from 2024 to 2041, with light rail construction beginning in the late 2020s for most extensions.

Background

, officially the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority, was established in 1993 to build a regional mass transit system pending approval from voters. After an unsuccessful ballot measure in 1995, the "Sound Move" plan was approved on November 5, 1996, financing the construction and operation of a $3.9 billion light rail, commuter rail and express bus system. The services would begin service over the next decade, beginning with Sound Transit Express buses in 1999 and followed by Sounder commuter rail to Tacoma in 2000 and Everett in 2003. Light rail service came to Tacoma in 2003 and the centerpiece of the plan, Central Link from Downtown Seattle to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, opened in 2009. The development of light rail was hindered by a funding crisis in the early 2000s, which forced the plan to be scaled back from to, with planning for completion of the rest of the system. The final project funded by Sound Move, the University Link light rail extension, opened in 2016.
A second ballot measure, called Sound Transit 2, was proposed in 2007 to fund the deferred light rail segments left off the scaled-back system and further expand into the suburbs. It went to the ballot in November 2007 as part of a joint "Roads and Transit" measure proposing $47 billion in regional transportation projects, of which $30.8 billion would be used to build of light rail towards Lynnwood to the north, Redmond to the east, and Tacoma to the south. The proposition was rejected, with the opposition campaign led by environmentalists who were concerned about the of new highway lanes and ramps that would have been built by the plan. A standalone and scaled-back transit proposition was passed the following year, approving $17.9 billion for of light rail towards Lynnwood Transit Center, the Microsoft campus in southwestern Redmond, and northern Federal Way, as well as additional trips on Sounder.
During the implementation of Sound Transit 2, the effects of the Great Recession on sales tax revenue forced Sound Transit to scale back its projects in 2010. Light rail to Federal Way was truncated to South 200th Street in SeaTac, while the rest would be studied for a future expansion; East Link to Bellevue and Redmond was delayed to 2023 from 2021. The majority of Sound Transit 2's light rail projects are scheduled to be completed in the early 2020s, although Lynnwood Link and East Link were both delayed due to construction issues and
increased costs.

History

Planning for a third phase of transit expansion began in 2008 with $82 million in appropriated funding from Sound Transit 2 for "ST3 planning". Sound Transit identified several corridors to receive comprehensive planning studies, including Lynnwood to Everett, South Bellevue to Issaquah, Redmond to the University District via Kirkland, University District to Ballard to Downtown Seattle, Burien to West Seattle to Downtown Seattle, Burien to Renton, and bus rapid transit on Interstate 405. One of the studies, the Ballard–Downtown Seattle corridor, was made into a joint study with the city government of Seattle in 2013 that would investigate light rail as well as rapid streetcar concepts as part of the municipal streetcar network. Other high-capacity transit corridor studies and an updated long-range plan were approved by the Sound Transit Board in February 2013, as part of a requirement for a potential public vote for a next phase. The updated long-range plan, released in December 2014, recommended the addition of light rail extensions to Paine Field in Everett, West Seattle, Issaquah, and Tacoma Mall to the 2005 plan, which already included funded lines and light rail to Everett, Tacoma and Ballard.
Sound Transit presented a $15 billion transit package, named "Sound Transit 3", in October 2014, including light rail expansions to Everett, Tacoma, Issaquah, Ballard, and West Seattle. The following month, the Sound Transit Board unanimously voted to pursue new taxes to support the 2016 ballot measure, pending authorization from the Washington State Legislature. While the Republican-majority state senate attempted to the limit the package to a maximum of $11 billion, authorization for the full $15 billion revenue cap was passed in July 2015 as part of a statewide transportation package. As part of a compromise, a sales tax of 3.25 percent would be charged by the state on materials for construction projects, raising $518 million in revenue for the state highway funds that would be appropriated for other programs.
Drafting of the final plan began in June 2015, with the selection of projects to prioritize in subsequent planning phases after a series of public meetings. After receiving over 25,000 responses to a project questionnaire in July, the Sound Transit Board expanded the list of candidate projects to include light rail studies on previously excluded corridors, including State Route 522. In December, three package size options were presented to the Sound Transit Board: a 15-year, $26 billion program with at-grade lines between Ballard and West Seattle; a 20-year, $30 billion program with a new downtown tunnel for Ballard and West Seattle; and a 25-year, $48 billion program with a new downtown tunnel for Ballard.
A draft plan was released in March 2016, proposing a $50 billion, 25-year system with of light rail serving 75 stations, two bus rapid transit lines, and a commuter rail extension, all opening in stages from 2024 to 2041. Additional studies for provisional light rail lines between Ballard and the University District, West Seattle and Burien, and suburban extensions to Kirkland and North Everett. After the release of the draft plan, the long timelines were criticized from politicians and political groups that would receive service in the 2030s and 2040s. In response to the concerns over project timelines and routing choices, groups from Northwest Seattle and Snohomish County proposed alternative plans to better serve Interbay and Paine Field in Everett, respectively.
In May 2016, Sound Transit announced revised plans that would accelerate delivery dates for light rail projects, pushing most into the 2030s, using an additional $4 billion in bonds that would not affect the taxing rate. Another amendment proposed region-wide contributions to a new light rail tunnel in Downtown Seattle, which would be built to relieve the existing tunnel when it reaches its capacity with new suburban extensions. Infill stations along existing and future lines within Seattle were also added to the plan, along with a short light rail spur to southern Kirkland. The final plan was approved by the Sound Transit Board on June 23, and placed on the November ballot as Regional Proposition 1.

Projects

Under full implementation of the Sound Transit 3 plan, the region's Link light rail system would expand to, Sound Transit would operate two new bus rapid transit lines, and Sounder commuter rail would be extended by two stations while additional cars are added to trains. By 2040, Sound Transit estimates that its services will carry a total of between 561,000 and 695,000 daily riders, with 69 percent of all transit trips using rail services.

Light rail

Sound Transit 3 includes of light rail serving 37 stations, extending the existing system to suburban cities and the Seattle neighborhoods of Ballard and West Seattle. Light rail trains would run 20 hours per day, and every 3 to 6 minutes during peak hours; the plan requires the purchase of 226 new vehicles to operate on the new lines.
The light rail projects, in descending order of projected completion, are:
Construction on the Ballard, West Seattle, and Tacoma Dome extensions is scheduled to begin in the late 2020s, followed by work on the Everett and Issaquah projects. The plan also includes funding for infill stations on the original network, at Graham Street, NE 130th Street, and Boeing Access Road, to open by 2031. An extension of Tacoma Link to Tacoma Community College is projected to be completed in 2039.