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Week of Aug. 21, 2006
Metro riding high on biodiesel
As more and more Metro buses are fueling up with biodiesel, King County is not only fighting global warming and air pollution, but it’s also saving money.
A higher concentration of biodiesel is now powering half of Metro Transit’s entire fleet of buses, which has recently been cheaper than regular diesel fuel prices.
 Earlier this year, King County Executive Ron Sims issued executive orders for calling for more aggressive use of biodiesel. As a result, Metro expanded both the number of buses using biodiesel and increased the blend from a 5-percent mix to 20 percent biodiesel/80 percent Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel.
Metro’s expanded use of the alternative fuel to 640 of its buses is delivering more than just clean air benefits. Last week King County paid an average of 34 cents a gallon less for biodiesel made from food crops, as compared to regular diesel fuel. That pencils out to about $12,000 less spent on fuel just in one week. While the county isn’t expecting to achieve this level of savings on an ongoing basis given the volatility of petroleum markets, the price differential is providing some relief by giving Metro a much- needed hedge against high fuel costs.
The recent increased use of biodiesel has been implemented at three Metro bus bases primarily serving Seattle, Bellevue and portions of south and east King County. And, Metro plans to continue to expand its use of the fuel as the supply of biodiesel grows and becomes more available.
The link between greenhouse gas emissions and global warming is drawing increased concern from scientists locally and throughout the world. In the Puget Sound region, vehicle emissions are the leading cause of greenhouse gas. Sims said if actions are not taken to curtail these emissions, scientists warn that this region will likely experience climate changes that will harm health, environment and economy.
“When combined with our hybrid buses, electric trolleys and the cleanest burning regular diesel available, King County Metro is fast becoming the greenest transit agency in the nation,” said Sims last week.
If you take public transit to work, your company can help you save 20 to 40 percent of your fare – and it won’t cost your boss a dime. Federal law now allows employees to use pre-tax income to purchase monthly public transportation fare (for bus, train, ferry or registered vanpool). If a company chooses to offer this pre-tax commuter benefit to its employees, the company simply deducts the requested amount from employee income to purchase the fare in the form of a pass, ticketbook or voucher. These benefits are available to employees only through their employers, and companies of every size are eligible. There is no minimum level of employee participation. So, tell your boss that Metro is offering a free, one-hour “Pre-Tax Quick Course” Thursday, Aug. 24 in the SODO area at the Seattle School District’s John Stanford Center, 2445 Third Avenue S., Room 2700, Seattle. Pre-registration is required, and can be done online, or by calling (206) 263-3444.
On Aug. 4, a delegation of government officials from the People's Republic of China traveled to Seattle and visited the King County Road Services Division. The visitors are facing traffic-congestion problems similar to King County’s in Fuzhou City and are looking at Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) to better manage traffic. The staff of the King County Traffic Control Center hosted an open house for the delegation and demonstrated the features and capabilities of the ITS program used at the center. The county’s Traffic Engineering staff answered questions from the delegation on the advanced communication and computer technology used by King County to collect and monitor real-time traffic information from various sources, such as traffic signal systems, cameras, and roadway sensors. |
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The old Elliott Bridge, which served King County well for more than 90 years, was dismantled in just six days last month. The bridge – which carried 149th Ave Southeast over the Cedar River between State Route 169 and Jones Road – was replaced last year with a modern bridge that is wider and safer, and is located on a new alignment. The King County Road Services Division had to wait until this summer to remove the old bridge, so that fish spawning in the river would not be disrupted. The bridge demolition started July 18 with the removal of the bridge deck, which consisted of corrugated metal deck pans filled with asphalt concrete. The steel truss was then removed in two halves. The northern half of the truss, which was over land, was removed on July 20. A large crane moved the southern half, which was over the river, to the northern side of the river where a mechanical “shear” cut the steel truss into lengths that fit into bins for shipping and recycling. The existing 60-foot right-of-way will remain to keep an informal access point to the river for recreational users. Mitigation will be completed in this area by planting native vegetation. |
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