Transit: It might be too late, too costly for ST3

Dow Constantine, Sound Transit board chair, recently said:”This region has debated mass transit for more years than most people in this room have been alive.”

The question: Are we not one generation too late? The cost is projected at $50-54 billion, a very large sum of money. It will require raising taxes estimated at $392 a year for a typical household in addition to the $330 a year for Sound Transit now being collected, making it more difficult to pay for other much needed projects

It is further projected the percentage of people using transit will increase from 3.1 to only 4.3 percent. (PSRC Transportation 2040 Executive Summary). The question: Is the whole project not too little, too late and too costly? And what other alternatives are available? New technologies, such as autonomous driving, are in advanced development. The proposed transit plan is, for this generation residing in Washington, a single most important decision. A vigorous public debate is much required.

This story was originally published June 23, 2016 at 2:38 PM with the headline "Transit: It might be too late, too costly for ST3."