Seattle Mayor Signs Legislation for Transportation Levy

Seattle Mayor signs $1.55 billion Transportation Levy, addressing city's infrastructure needs. Investments include repaving streets, repairing bridges, adding sidewalks, improving transit, and enhancing bike lanes. Levy aims to boost safety, sustainability, and accessibility in the city over eight years.

Tue July 23, 2024 - West Edition #15
SDOT

Seattle.gov photo

If approved by voters, the eight-year $1.55 billion Transportation Levy will provide funding to enhance the city’s transportation infrastructure, including building sidewalks, paving streets, repairing bridges and improving transit connections.

On July 10, 2024, Mayor Bruce Harrell signed into law the legislation that will place the Transportation Levy on Seattle voters' ballots in November 2024. The legislation was unanimously approved by the City Council on July 9.

If approved by voters, the eight-year $1.55 billion Transportation Levy will provide funding to enhance the city's transportation infrastructure, including building sidewalks, paving streets, repairing bridges and improving transit connections. The levy reflects the safety, maintenance, and modernization needs of Seattle's transportation infrastructure and incorporates robust community input.

The current Levy to Move Seattle, which expires at the end of 2024, represents roughly 30 percent of the Seattle Department of Transportation's budget. The proposed Transportation Levy would renew and expand this funding source to build a broad range of projects reflecting the city's evolving transportation needs and priorities.

"For the past 18 years, Seattle voters have consistently shown their commitment to maintaining and improving our city's transportation infrastructure," said Harrell. "This Transportation Levy is a detailed action plan to build on that effort, addressing the urgent needs of our streets, bridges, sidewalks and transit systems. These investments will help Seattleites get where they need to go and enhance safety across our transportation system, no matter how they get around — bolstering bridges, strengthening connections to light rail and transit and improving routes to walk, bike, and roll."

"This consensus levy is about us all coming together to invest in a better future for our city," said Seattle City Councilmember Transportation Chair Rob Saka. "This levy is about building a stronger, more reliable transportation system. It's about saving lives by making critical safety improvements on our roads. It's about creating good, living-wage, union jobs for people in our community. It's a big investment to be sure, but it's one that we're making with utmost accountability and care. The people of Seattle are worth it."

Key Transportation Levy investments include:

$403 million to repave arterial streets that carry the most buses, trucks, cars and improve infrastructure for people walking, rolling, biking, and taking transit;
$221 million to keep bridges and structures in reliable working condition and prepare for future bridge projects;
$193 million to build and repair sidewalks, crossings and curb ramps, so people walking and rolling can safely get to where they need to go;
$160.5 million to make targeted Vision Zero and community improvements to streets, sidewalks, intersections and crossings to reduce traffic collisions, severe injuries, and fatalities;
$151 million to connect people safely to transit hubs, including Link light rail stations and bus stops; and reduce delays on bus routes;
$133.5 million to expand Seattle's protected bike lane network; connect schools to bike lanes, paths and neighborhood greenways; and maintain and upgrade existing bike lanes;
$100 million to install, maintain and upgrade traffic signals for safe, reliable movement; improve pedestrian and bike accessibility signals; and support traffic operations during large events, incidents, and for trips in and out of the port;
$69 million to address climate change directly, reducing air pollution and making sustainable transportation options more available;
$66.5 million to activate public spaces and improve lighting in partnership with business districts and community organizations so people can enjoy unique and vibrant neighborhoods and business districts;
$45 million to make freight improvements to support trucks delivering goods and providing services;
$7.5 million to ensure good governance and equitable implementation.

Other highlights of the Transportation Levy include:

350 new blocks of sidewalks and walkways: approximately 22 mi. and 34,000 repairs to existing sidewalks;
160 projects to improve bus trip reliability and connect people to light rail stations while prioritizing safety, reliability, and accessibility;
A new preventative bridge maintenance program and planning for longer-term replacements;
15 paving projects to maintain and modernize Seattle's streets and get people and goods where they need to go;
Improvements to Seattle's bicycle network with new protected bike lanes, added bike lane barriers, regular bike lane sweeping, completing the gap in the Burke-Gilman Trail and more bike facilities in south Seattle.

"SDOT is ready to deliver on this balanced and practical investment program to maintain and modernize Seattle's streets, sidewalks, bridges, bike lanes and transit connections, over the next eight years," said SDOT Director Greg Spotts. "We appreciate the deep and thoughtful collaboration with a wide range of Seattle community members and organizations who helped shape this levy for consideration by Seattle voters."