Largest transit measure on the ballot has strong support

Traffic relief in the form of high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes on I-985 will not make it past the voters in the state of Washington.

At press time, the majority was for Sound Transit light rail (Proposition 1 on the ballot), which will extend track service by the early 2020s through a half-cent increase in the sales tax. The plan, which will cost $17.9 billion, will expand express bus service 17% and increase capacity on Sounder commuter trains between Pierce County and Seattle.

“It’s a great step forward,” Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, who is chairman of the Sound Transit board, told The Seattle Times. “We’ve been talking about creating a mass-transit system for 40 years.”

Proposition 1 is the largest of 22 transit measures nationwide, which includes a $10 billion bond measure to help fund a $42 billion California bullet train. A more expansive road and transit measure in the Seattle area was brought to a vote last year, but failed. Initiative 985 would have opened HOV lanes during the week and increase funding to clear traffic accidents, move revenue from red-light cameras and a portion of car sales tax into a state congestion-relief account and affirm existing state law restricting toll collections.

A high percentage of young voters may have put Proposition 1 over the top, as well as an intense educational campaign released days before the election.