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Week of Nov. 26, 2007
County’s 2008 transportation budget focuses on preservation and service expansion
Transit Now revenues will fund the development of five RapidRide corridors that will keep buses moving despite traffic congestion. | King County’s newly adopted 2008 budget sets the stage for continued efforts to preserve and improve the county’s existing transportation services.“While 2008 will be another lean year overall, the King County Department of Transportation’s new budget will allow us to continue to implement significant transit improvements to better serve the public,” said KCDOT Director Harold Taniguchi. “There won’t be a lot of money for new road and airport projects, but residents will continue to see more transit service implemented all across the county as part of Transit Now,” he said. “This budget also allows us to continue to focus on making the best use of the funds available to make travel safe and reliable.” This year for the first time, the Metropolitan King County Council has selected Metro as a test case for biennial budgeting, and the 2008-2009 biennial budget includes a number of proposed actions that support the implementation of Transit Now. For the upcoming biennium, Metro will deploy more than 100,000 hours of new bus service. Service will be added for developing areas in the East and South parts of the county; high ridership and core routes throughout the county; and through partnerships with businesses and jurisdictions. Metro will also continue to work toward implementing RapidRide bus rapid transit service in five heavily traveled corridors in the county beginning in 2010. Also, in line with the Transit Now goal of doubling vanpool usage by 2016, Metro will work to add an average of 90 vanpools a year in 2008 and 2009 through new outreach efforts. And, services for transit passengers with disabilities are expanded with more service in under-served areas. In addition to the Transit Now expansion, a 25-cent fare increase – which will be staged to begin in March and July of 2008 – will help maintain Metro’s existing service and reduce overcrowding on current routes. Taniguchi said the Road Services Division budget reflects a commitment to safety and to reducing the amount of greenhouse gases it generates in the course of maintaining the county’s roadways. Most new projects are hold said Taniguchi, because existing revenues are not keeping pace with the cost of business. Large increases in fuel, materials, engineering and other construction costs mean that projects are costing more to complete. “Without new revenue sources, King County will likely only be able to fund unincorporated-area roads projects with high-priority safety and preservation needs in the future,” he said. “There is no funding for increased capacity or the construction of regional projects.” Taniguchi said one of the most immediate challenges is finding the money to replace the South Park Bridge over the Duwamish River.  Despite the significant financial constraints, the Road Services Division budget will fund continuing work on several important road projects and will allow the division to upgrade approximately 30 traffic signals over the next six years in five heavily traveled corridors. That work should result in travel-time savings of 30 percent during peak periods.
Taniguchi said despite the tight financing, KCDOT continues to find innovative ways to provide “green” transportation services. All of the divisions within the department have been successful in taking major steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other actions that protect the environment. He pointed out that Metro will have more hybrid buses on the road in 2008. The Fleet Administration Division continues to explore alternative fuel vehicles for the county motor pool. Roads has been leading in the way in road repairs that also enhance wildlife habitat. And, the King County International Airport will begin installing noise insulation in 100 homes near Boeing Field in 2008. “I am very proud of the role Department of Transportation staff have played in making King County a leader in developing a variety of programs and services aimed at cutting carbon emissions generated by the transportation sector,” said Taniguchi.
All paved up 
The King County Road Services Division took advantage of dry fall weather to wrap up the 2007 countywide paving program for 2007 in October. This year, more than 103,000 tons of asphalt were used to overlay 52 miles of roads in unincorporated King County and the local cities that contract with the Roads Division. Even through the cost of asphalt increased about 17 percent over last year, the division was able to meet its paving goals by adjusting the thickness of the overlay on the less-traveled roadways. In conjunction with the paving, the division also built 143 ramps at intersections in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The national “Make a Difference Day” on Oct. 27 was turned into a month-long celebration of community service by the Road Services Division’s Adopt-a-Road program. During the month of October, 375 volunteers in 38 groups performed organized litter clean-ups. The volunteers did an outstanding job — collecting more than 750 bags of litter and keeping 77.5 miles of King County roads clean. Over the past six years, Adopt-a-Road volunteers have removed more than 17,000 bags of litter from county roads. And, since 1991, volunteers have totaled close to 70,000 hours of clean-up service. |
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Metro and the city of Redmond are offering free shuttle service on Sunday, Dec. 2 for the “Redmond Lights” kickoff. Redmond Lights is a month-long celebration of diverse holiday traditions. It goes into high gear on Dec. 2 with a tree lighting at City Hall, followed by the annual holiday walk along the Sammamish River Trail to Redmond Town Center. The shuttle will run from the Redmond Town Center and the Senior Center at the Redmond Municipal Campus between approximately 3:15 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. Get detailed information on Metro Online.
The annual Poetry On Buses competition, which is managed by 4Culture, is now complete for 2007, and the winning poems have been posted inside Metro’s buses. The popular cultural arts program is now in its 15th year, and the 2007 contest netted a record number of entries. This year’s series is “Dreams,” and the winning entries reflect a broad interpretation of the theme. Check out all the winners online. | Subscribe to DOT DashSign-up to receive an e-mail text version of "Transportation Today," along with other significant DOT news by sending an e-mail to us with subscribe King County DOT Dash in the subject line.
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