King County Executive Ron Sims has endorsed an updated “Moving to Solutions” proposal from his Department of Transportation calling for a balanced and affordable package of critical transportation improvements phased in over a 20-year period.

The revised proposal recommends a series of projects that should be considered by the three-county Regional Transportation Investment District (RTID). The proposal would invest a total of $7.2 billion over a decade, and would leverage additional funds from the state and federal governments to complement RTID financing. This is substantially less than the $8.9 billion plan currently being considered by the RTID Executive Board.

This proposal reflects revisions made since an initial proposal was unveiled by the Department of Transportation in September. It takes into account new information gained from focus groups, public opinion research and discussions with stakeholder groups, including local elected officials, business, labor and environmental constituencies. The plan also reflects revised working cost estimates for several projects and the impact of the Supreme Court's recent ruling on I-776, upholding a vote to eliminate the vehicle license fee. Finally, the proposal recognizes the need for a longer-term, 20-year vision for completing vital projects.

The biggest change from the department's original proposal is an additional $785 million to be spent on improvements to Interstate 405, for a total RTID investment of $2.085 billion. The project would add one new managed express lane in each direction, running from Bothell in north King County to Tukwila and Kent to the south. These new lanes, when combined with existing HOV lanes, will create a faster and more reliable express lane system. The managed lane concept has strong support from Eastside elected officials, the Discovery Institute, and environmental groups. Preliminary Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) studies indicate it is also the most cost-effective means of providing congestion relief for all that use the corridor.

The proposal also recommends using $1.33 billion of RTID funding to complete a light rail system from Northgate to the city of SeaTac. Federal funding and existing Sound Transit resources would provide the balance of funding.

Other projects in the proposal include:

• Funding of $1.1 billion in the first decade and $655 million in the second decade for the Alaskan Way Viaduct/Seawall replacement;
• RTID funding of $570 million in the first decade and $166 million in the second decade for the State Route 520 corridor;
• The South Park Bridge would be replaced in the first decade with $60 million of RTID funding and $30 million from other sources;
• $850 million of RTID funding to complete the missing State Route 509 Extension to I-5;
• $618 million of RTID funding for bus and bus related improvements to make transit a more competitive travel option;
• Phased construction of State Route 167 and the Federal Way Triangle Projects;
• RTID investments in traffic management, State Route 522 Business Access/Transit lanes, the Vashon passenger ferry and the south Lake Union streetcar.

Sims will now work with elected officials and interested stakeholder groups to finalize the proposal.

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King County Metro Transit bus drivers often go above and beyond the call of duty while on the job. Their commitment to doing the right thing doesn't go unnoticed by customers, who frequently write or call in their appreciation for a job well done. From this pool of candidates, four times a year drivers are chosen for the “Turner Award,” named in honor of the late George Turner, one of the founding fathers of what is now Metro's Accessible Services Advisory Committee. The award recognizes drivers who have done something special to help senior citizens or persons with disabilities.

The four most recent winners were recognized at a luncheon attended by many of their peers last week: Andrew Joslin from Atlantic Base; Martin Larson from Central Base; Diane Gaylord from Bellevue Base; and Raoul Quiban from Atlantic Base.

The Turner Award is presented by the Paralyzed Veterans of America.

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Three times a year, Metro Transit adjusts bus service in response to changes in where people live and work. The next service change will go into effect on Saturday, Jan. 31, but it involves only minor schedule adjustments.

New green timetables are now available on buses, in display racks, and at other Metro information locations. Passengers can also visit Metro's Online Trip Planner to plan trips between specific points. Enter a travel date on or after Jan. 31 for trip plans that incorporate any service changes.

The new schedules will be posted on Metro Online this coming Friday.

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Here is a list of King County Department of Transportation projects that may disrupt traffic and travel this week:

Sammamish River Trail – The trail is currently closed where it crosses underneath Northeast 124th Street north of Redmond near 60 Acres Park until Tuesday, Jan. 27, while crews work on widening the roadway above the trail.
Military Road, near Boulevard Park - The southbound lane of Military Road South will remain closed until early February between South 116th Street and South 120th Street in the Boulevard Park area. During the closure, crews will be installing sidewalks on the west side of Military Road. Southbound traffic can detour via 24th Avenue South.

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