A proposal to expand Seattle's light rail system also includes provisions for extensive road construction, putting transit advocates in the awkward position of voting for both transit and roads.
In Seattle recently, environmentalists and transit advocates raised their voices to argue in favor of an "$11 billion proposal that would pay for 50 new miles of light rail throughout the Puget Sound region. Light-rail supporters, including district treasurer Jason Bennett and Futurewise field director Megan Blanck-Weiss, argued that the vote might represent the region's last chance to fund a massive light-rail expansion."
"But despite the environmentalists' efforts, the measure failed to win endorsement-an echo of the previous night's executive board meeting, where a proposal to support endorsing the measure outright ended in a stalemate, with "pro" votes outnumbering "cons" by only 13 to 9."
"Why would the liberal 36th reject a proposal that indisputably would change Seattle's transit picture for the better? Because that rail expansion comes saddled with hundreds of new miles of pavement, including expansion of I-405 on the Eastside and a larger SR-520 bridge across Lake Washington. In all, the light-rail package is linked to $7 billion in road expansion and improvement projects, making it difficult for some environmentalists-and others who just don't want to see taxes increase to pay for roads-to support."
FULL STORY: Fork in the Road
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HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
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