Connections for our Future

In October, 2006, King County Executive Ron Sims and Port of Seattle Chief Executive Officer Mic Dinsmore announced discussions to support billions of dollars of economic benefits in the region and would provide a recreational amenity unique in the nation that will add to the region's quality of life for future generations.

At the center of the discussion are 47 miles of eastside rail corridor, and ownership and operation of King County International Airport. (Learn More)

Over the past year, the Port of Seattle hired Tay Yoshitani as Chief Executive Officer and discussions about the Connections for Our Future proposal have continued and evolved.

Connections for Our future:

• is a creative regional government collaboration to preserve a vital rail corridor in public ownership.
• potentially creates the largest green pathway in our region since the founding of the Mountains to Sound Greenway.
• is potentially the most significant local public/private investment in the economic prosperity and quality of life in this region since the days of Forward Thrust.
• is a complex series of interconnected agreements that invest hundreds of millions of dollars affecting billions of dollars of economic activity in King County.
• may involve multiple parties including KC, POS, BNSF, the federal government, WSDOT, Port of Tacoma, and many others.
• is potentially the most ambitious local initiative undertaken in a generation. Its benefits would be felt today, tomorrow and by all future generations.