Burien residents will choose at the Nov. 3 election whether to pay additional fees to fund two pedestrian/bicycle path projects following City Council action Aug. 3, placing the measure on the ballot.
Residents are being asked if they favor paying a $25 annual vehicle license fee that would be in effect for two years to fund the projects. The measure requires a simple majority for passage.
A new state law allows cities to designate a Transportation Benefit District (TBD) to fund transportation improvements within a city. A TBD would authorize an independent citywide taxing area in Burien to pay for certain sidewalk and road improvements.
The City Council at its July 20 meeting established a TBD to fund two high-priority projects from the Burien Pedestrian and Bicycle Facilities Plan. The two projects were chosen because they serve areas of the city that have not benefited from recent improvement projects.
One project is a minimum 8-foot wide pedestrian/cycling path on one side of 8th Avenue South from South 128th Street to South 136th Street.
The other project would construct bicycle lanes on both sides of South 136th Street from Ambaum Boulevard to 1st Ave South and 1st Ave South to Des Moines Memorial Drive. Portions of existing sidewalks along South 136th Street would be improved.
Transportation Benefit Districts are required by law to provide annual reports to the community that would show project status, expenditures and revenues, and construction schedules.