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As was noted by King County Executive Ron Sims in his budget presentation to the County Council Monday, the King County Department of Transportation (KCDOT) is doing its part to deliver vital services, despite continued challenges associated with limited transportation funding. KCDOT employees continue to deliver key programs and services that focus on direct service and preservation of existing infrastructure. That commitment to high-quality service and employee innovation is once again evident in the department’s 2006 proposed budget.

King County Metro Transit

King County Metro, which is recognized as being one of the best transit agencies in the country, has undergone an exhaustive effort to identify efficiencies and reprioritize its operations, even in the face of rising fuel prices. As a result, Metro will be able to add 17,800 hours of new service next year to help support increased ridership. While this represents a rather modest increase, these additional service hours will help more commuters get where they need to go, especially in the congested Interstate 90 and Interstate 5 South corridors.

The coming year will also see the opening of a new 1,000-stall Issaquah Highlands Park-and-Ride, which will make taking the bus easier and more convenient for hundreds of Eastside commuters. And, following the orderly closure of the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel to accommodate the joint operation of buses and light rail, Metro will continue to work with its partners to plan for the reopening of the tunnel to buses in the fall of 2007.

In an effort to create the most seamless public transportation system possible, Metro will participate in a system-wide test of the new Regional Fare Collection System (Smart Card). In mid-2006, 10,000 cards will be issued and up to 200 buses will be equipped with the new system.

In 2006, Metro will also participate in partnerships to create transit oriented development projects in Redmond and Northgate. These projects will locate nearly 1,000 new units of housing at key transit passenger facilities. This makes it easier to use the bus and to find reasonably priced housing close to jobs and shopping.

Road Services Division

The Road Services Division is also showing its determination to get things done despite limited funding. In the event of a major earthquake, it is less likely that residents in suburban and rural areas will be isolated because ten years ago the county had the foresight to begin an aggressive bridge seismic retrofit program. By the end of this year, 110 bridges will have been retrofitted, with more to come next year. The Executive’s Proposed Budget provides more than $1.2 million to retrofit five remaining bridges by the end of 2008. The budget will continue to emphasize safety and preservation of our transportation system. It includes the replacement of two additional bridges and operational improvements that ease suburban congestion.

The Road Services Division will continue to partner with several cities and the state in implementing Intelligent Transportation Management Systems (ITMS) on major arterials. These projects are designed to reduce congestion without adding new lanes of roadway. Additional benefits include improved incident response and management along with increased traveler information. In 2006 the Road Services Division proposes to:

• Partner with the city of Redmond and Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to construct an ITMS project along Avondale Road between State Route 520 and Novelty Hill Road, continuing east on Novelty Hill Road to 208th Avenue Northeast. This project includes signal interconnects, video cameras and links to traffic control centers in each jurisdiction. These corridors carry a high volume of traffic connecting northeast unincorporated King County and southeast Snohomish County to the major employment centers along State Route 202 and SR 520.
   
• Add ITMS improvements in the 140th Avenue Southeast corridor between Petrovitsky Road and State Route 169 (Maple Valley Highway), serving motorists from the North Soos Creek Plateau area to Interstate 405. This project expands on improvements made this year in the Trans-Valley corridor with additional features such as video and signal control capability. This project will also allow WSDOT to operate the signal and video cameras at SR 169/140th Way SE.
   
• Partner with the cities of Auburn and Kent and WSDOT to provide signal interconnect, video and signal control capability along South 277th Street. This corridor, spanning the Green River Valley through Auburn, connects the Kent industrial area and the city of Auburn to State Route 167 and I-5. The South 277th Street ITS has two separate projects with the first managed by Auburn for construction in 2006 and the second managed by King County for construction in 2008.

King County International Airport

King County International Airport generates $39 million in taxes annually, contributes $1.6 billion to Puget Sound’s economy, supports the needs of 150 businesses, and logs an average of 300,000 aircraft operations annually. The airport is completely supported by user fees such as tenant leases, fuel flowage, and landing fees.

In 2006, the airport will rehabilitate Runway 13R/31L – a major construction effort involving the complete overlay of the main runway. This project is 95 percent funded by the Federal Aviation Administration. Following that effort, the airport’s Bravo Taxiway will be rehabilitated. This major rehabilitation program will correct serious deterioration of the runway and taxiway, which have reached the end of their useful life.

The airport budget also calls for adjusting landing, fuel flowage fees, and rental rates to provide financial stability and cover the cost of airport operations and facility needs.

Fleet Administration

The department’s Fleet Administration Division maintains the county’s vehicle fleet and manages the acquisition, maintenance and disposal of cars, trucks, heavy off-road equipment; the county’s inventory of capitalized assets; and the disposal of all surplus property. It also administers the county take-home vehicle authorization program, and provides reimbursable stores, materials, equipment and supplies to numerous cities and jurisdictions. In 2006, Fleet Administration’s proposed budget will allow it to continue to serve as a model by helping more than 140 local cities and jurisdictions save money by combining their purchasing power.

Fleet also plans to aggressively pursue acquiring more hybrid vehicles in 2006, including the Ford Escape Hybrid SUV along with new heavier hybrid equipment. The trucks are expected to provide additional fuel savings because they run on stored battery power while idling instead of gasoline or diesel fuel. The division has the largest fleet of hybrid-electric cars in the state, with more than 140 hybrids in service. It is estimated the hybrids will save the county more than 14-thousand gallons of fuel in 2005.

In the coming weeks, the King County Council will review the Executive’s proposed transportation budget and conduct public hearings. The council typically adopts a final annual county budget just prior to Thanksgiving.
 

Updated:  October 20, 2005

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