By Gwen Davis

The committee meeting on Tues. morning was upbeat and rich in the latest comments and news on transportation.

Updates you need to know:

—> “There was a great show of support for Metro in Seattle,” Tom Rasmussen said regarding the Nov. passage of Prop. 1. However, “this measure expires after six years. We’ll work with Olympia to have more sustainable funding for transit. It's not something we wanted to do, but the state did not pass a transportation budget during the legislative session.” But overall there is strong public support for transportation, which is encouraging. “While 20 years ago there were a lot of skeptics of the light rail, on this time around people want to see the light rail at their door step,” the Councilmember Mike O’Brien said. “It’s exciting to think what’s possible.” Rasmussen also agreed it’s “positive” to see how people are now in favor of the light rail. Folks "on the ground are really hungry for good public transit and light rail is part of that and that’s exciting,” O'Brian said.

—>“WSDOT is monitoring the viaduct,” as it experienced recent concerns. “But it will continue to be used for transportation purposes.” However “the work on the tunnel is more complicated than what had been anticipated,” Rasmussen said. Comparatively, the seawall project is underway and will be done on time, as well as the Spokane St. project. Impact fees will help pay for the cost of public transportation. Furthermore, the full leasing of the King Street Station has been restored. But although the building is open to the public, it's a “beautiful and historic building” and therefore the city is trying to attract tenants that will achieve preservation goals.

—>There was an incident in June where police toed a car which back up traffic in West Seattle for over five hours. That incident is only the most recent in the area. The council will develop a comprehensive and more effective response to that corridor. The Port of Seattle, the Coast Guard, and other agencies are planning for better efficiency.

—> Other things the council is working on: members thought the car sharing issue would be addressed by now, but the fees for the program have not been established. There will also be a meeting next week where, if a state-wide transportation package does not pass the legislature, there will be packages Olympia can support that would address the needs of various stakeholders.

Summary of city projects presented to the council:

Appointed members of a transportation committee focusing on freight issues introduced themselves to the council. Rasmussen appeared pleased by their in-depth knowledge. “Perhaps one of you can advise us in helping the West Seattle corridor project move as quickly as possible,” Rasmussen said.

Another group of representatives discussed city improvements with the council. A piece of legislation that would grant permission for a new skybridge at sororities at the University of Washington was explained. It was voted yes.

A group of city representatives discussed a property acquisition ordinance to provide for cleaner right of way transfers. This is a collaborative effort between the the city and state, the said. This agreement, like others in the past would detail who is responsible for infrastructure transfers.

“It’s important to know which tree or which bridge structure is responsible to whom,” said a spokesperson from the committee working on this issue. The package was voted yes.

Next up was Kristen Simpson from the city’s department of transportation. She discussed a proposal regarding the Seattle Opera’s desire to improve 4th Ave and Mercer St. for the opera.

On that note, "Portland is a great city, but Seattle is a metropolis" and part of what makes it extraordinary is the fact it has an opera, Councilmember Jean Godden said.

Another committee talked about a subterranean vacation for a development in Lake Union.

“I usually do not support vacations and streets, but in this case we’re saving it for a very good cause,” said a member of the public who provided testimony to this project.

“This is an unusual case for a subterrainian vacation,” a committee representative explained. “The vacation will begin six feet below grade.” The street will remain public but the private proposal will develop a residential/commercial facility that has been a goal for 16 years. There will possibly be expanded curb to aid pedestrian crossing, however it might be removed depending on transit needs. Street parking will additionally be added, which will slow down traffic. The public benefit package would include a hopefully popular steel sculpture.

Another committed then addressed pedestrian mobility in construction areas in an initiative called Action Seattle.

The last item on the agenda was about the SR 99 incident response after-action plan.

“On June 10 there was a two car head-on collision at East Marginal Way; several injured individuals were taken to Harborview. Southbound SR 99 was closed from the Battery Street Tunnel to S. Nevada St. for five and a half hours until 7:25 p.m.,” a captain police officer told the council.

“It was a perfect storm of Mariners and rush hour traffic,” he said.