Viaduct in Seattle could add buses in Sammamish
January 26, 2009
By J.B. Wogan
Car tax hike could help pay for transit on Eastside
Believe or not, Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct project might end up giving Sammamish more bus service. The state, county and city of Seattle will split of the cost of the viaduct project. King County Executive Ron Sims announced Jan. 13 that part of a funding mechanism for the $4.24 billion project could involve a 1 percent motor vehicle excise tax in King County.
For the average county resident, the motor vehicle excise tax translates to about $75 per car, according to Rochelle Ogershok, Public Affairs Supervisor for King County Metro Transit.
Part of the county’s plan is to relieve the viaduct of some car traffic by encouraging residents to use public transit instead, according to Kevin Desmond, Metro’s General Manager.
As soon as the motor vehicle excise tax is enacted, if it is enacted, it would go toward that relief.
Some time after 2012, the new county tax would pay for more buses across King County, especially in growing areas like Sammamish, Desmond said.
Desmond cautioned, however, that the timeline was fuzzy, with several factors affecting an exact projection. The tax hasn’t been enacted yet and would need approval from both the state legislature and the King County Council. Even then, $120 million could be drained into covering a growing budget deficit.
Part of Metro’s funding model relies on a volatile sales tax that has been producing far less revenue than usual. Metro is anticipating a $60-80 million deficit in 2010, which would affect 17 percent of its current level of service, Desmond said.
If the tax is passed and money does become available, the city has done the legwork to make sure it would receive some boost in transit funding, according to Jeff Brauns, the city’s senior transportation planner.
Brauns said he and City Manager Ben Yazici have held several meetings with Desmond to plan out more bus service in the city.
“They’re well aware of what we want,” Brauns said.
What the city wants, Brauns said, is a higher frequency of buses running from Metro’s 269 route, which goes from the Issaquah Park & Ride to the Overlake Park & Ride, traveling along 228th Avenue in Sammamish.
In September 2008, Metro added another bus each hour along the 269 route.
“There are many areas of the county, Sammamish among them, where there is a desire for more and easier-to-use transit service. We’ve just begun to scratch the surface of meeting the demand,” said Victor Obeso, who manages service development for Metro.
Metro’s records show that ridership has increased on all three of its bus routes that serve Sammamish.
The biggest jump was on the 269 route, which experienced an increase of 67 percent in ridership between 2007 and 2008, according to Metro.
Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com.
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