Picture This!
What's
new this week in transportation
Transportation improvements in 2002 county budget
New buses, wider
roads, and airport renovations are some of the major improvement projects
approved by the King County Council in the 2002 budget. Among the items
are 132 new buses (left), widening of the Avondale Road (upper right), and
redevelopment of the west side of the King County Airport (lower right).
In its $2.9 billion budget for 2002, the King County
Council last week approved a number of local transportation improvements to
ease area traffic congestion.
Transit:
The $376 million operating budget and $142 million capital improvement program
authorized by the Council will provide for continued expansion of bus service
and new security enhancements and information technology measures on buses.
Among other things, the budget calls for purchase of
132 new buses with floors that are lower to the ground for easier entry, to be
delivered in late 2003, and purchase of 260 hybrid gas/electric articulated
buses, the dual-length "accordion" buses, to replace those now in use in the
downtown bus tunnel, for delivery in future years.
Roads:
The coming year will be a busy one for the Roads Services Division, as staff
gears up for a huge construction season in 2003. Sometime in 2002, more
than $41 million in bonds will be sold to finance much of the Capital
Improvement Program.
Staff will work on acquiring right-of-way for upcoming projects, as well as
on planning and design. But there will still be plenty of construction in
2002 on such continuing projects as: widening of Avondale Way just south of the
Woodinville-Duvall Road; more improvements for
140th Way
Southeast in Fairwood; and upgrades for Northeast 124th Street in the Lower
Snoqualmie Valley.
King County International Airport
(Boeing Field): With an operating budget of $12.2 million and a
capital budget of $2.8 million, the airport will redevelop the west side of the
field, at the opposite end from the terminal. The renovation involves a
major expansion by the Museum of Flight into what is now the Airpark Hangar
site. New buildings and hangars will be built to co-locate the state
Department of Transportation, Aeronautics Division, Seattle Community Colleges,
Opportunity Skyway, and Airport Maintenance Facility and general aircraft
hangars displaced by the proposed expansion of the Museum of Flight. The
development will take place on land turned back from a former lease to the
Boeing Company.
Related links
"Council
Adopts Bipartisan 2002 Budget, Funds Core Responsibilities, Restores Human
Services Funding," County Council news release, November 19, 2001
Major
construction projects for 2001 for roads and transit
King County Budget Office Web site
King County
International Airport Web site
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