By Lindsay Peyton

West Seattle’s transit system would get a major makeover and have a much farther reach if voters pass the Sound Transit 3 Draft Plan, or ST3, this election.

The measure would add 58 miles of light rail, connecting urban centers from Everett to Tacoma and from Ballard and West Seattle to Redmond and Issaquah.

The vision, which also includes establishing rapid bus transit services, extending the Sounder South line and adding more bike lanes and pedestrian trails, was firmed up prior to going on the ballot in November.

“With our population growth and traffic congestion challenges, there’s overwhelming support out there for more transportation options,” Sound Transit spokesman Geoff Patrick said. “The scale of work is responsive to what we’ve heard from the public.”

He explained that the improvements would be made possible by three separate tax increases. Sales tax would go up by 0.5 percent, or 50 cents per $100.

Additional funding would come from an 0.8 percent increase in motor vehicle excise, which would total $80 annually for a $10,000 vehicle, as well as a property tax increase of 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, or about $100 annually for a $400,000 house.

For the median Seattle income, the cost would total about $169 annually, all combined, Patrick said.

He explained that measures addressing mass transit on the ballot failed in 1968 and 1970.

“We’re making up for lost time,” he said. “This measure is not just intended to respond to what we see today, as bad as traffic already is, but also the fact that there will be more people by 2040.”

Patrick said that individuals surveyed expressed an interest in more connectivity to Ballard and West Seattle.

“This would give people in the West Seattle area greater access to destinations across the region,” he said.

Patrick said that Sound Transit also surveyed area residents online – and found that transportation was a top concern.

“It has a direct impact on people’s daily lives,” he said. “It also has an influence on economic prosperity and environmental issues.”

The Sound Transit 3 Draft Plan, or ST3, would take an estimated 25 years to execute.

“There’s been some interest in what we can do to make this happen quicker,” Patrick said. “There’s no path to delivery of the projects quicker or cheaper than what we’ve created here for ST3.”

Discussions have been ongoing since 2012, and a long-range plan was established in 2014. The following year, Sound Transit received permission from the state legislature for additional taxing authority to pay for the project.

When complete, the city would boast 112 miles of light rail, 35 new stations and a ridership approaching 580,000.

“The Sound Transit board put a strong level of focus on learning what the public wanted to do,” Patrick said. “There was a high level of interest in creating a truly regional effort.”

Still, some area residents remained concerned. Rich Jones, who lives in Kirkland, voiced opposition to ST3 at a recent city council meeting in Burien.

He is part of the “No on ST3” coalition.

“The coalition is not an anti-transit group,” Jones said. “We simply do not regard the ST3 plan as a solution to the area’s transportation problems. We believe ST3 is way too ambitious, outrageously expensive and will not benefit many of us who will have to pay.”

He also is not convinced that ST3 will reduce traffic congestion.

“In Burien, we’ve seen very little benefit from ST1 and ST2,” Jones said. “We’re already paying quite a bit for ST1 and ST2 and now here comes another tax for ST3 with very little added service.”

He encourages voters to visit Smartertransit.org and noonst3.org to calculate the impact to their taxes.

“My transit tax bill is going to nearly triple from around $500 to $1600,” he said. “ST3 is just too expensive, delivers too little and takes way too long.”

Sound Transit board chair and King County executive Dow Constantine, however, said that the transit improvements that would come with ST3 are exactly what the region needs.

“This is our opportunity to finally get the reliable transit we need,” he said. “There’s nothing that we do that’s more important for our economy and our environment than building this transit system.”

He explained that average commuters are spending 63 hours a year in slow downs on the road. “That’s time you could have spent being productive at work or at home with the kids,” Constantine said. “That’s an enormous waste of each person’s time.”

The traffic will only increase as more people move to the area, he added. “There will be a million more of us three decades from now,” he said. “Every week we’re adding 260 people. That’s probably 100 more cars on the road.”

Constantine also resides in West Seattle – and has experienced traffic woes in the area first hand.

“We’ve long had a need for increased mobility,” he said. “We’ll be able to bring the buses and the light rail for frequent, fast and reliable rides.”

Constantine said that West Seattle would gain three light rail stations, as well as RapidRide bus service.

“This is our moment,” he said. “This is our chance to really transform the commute from West Seattle. We have to take advantage of this opportunity.”

For more information, visit http://soundtransit3.org.