Seattle's proposed light-rail rapid transit system had been merely hopes and dreams before today. Almost canceled for lack of support and funding, Seattle lawmakers got a big boost from the federal government today when the Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters told city and state officials that the Federal Transit Administration (DOT) has signed off on the final designs for the Puget Sound transportation project and has given the plan a "high" rating meaning it is on the FTA's "spending priorities" list. According to the Seattle Times:
" Sound Transit's 3.1 mile underground extension to the University of Washington will cost about $1.7 billion; Seattle hopes to secure a funding grant from the federal government for up to $750 million of the total."
This leaves a big hole to fill in funding, but with the FTA on board, Seattle's hopes for advanced transit have gone from the cancellation of the Seattle Monorail Project to a very real possibility of a basic light rail system.
Seattle is one of the biggest cities in the country without a light-rail transit system. Known for its minimalist approach to major city projects (see: new arena rejected), Seattle has held back from rushed and image-driven designs such as the poorly planned transit system run by the Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. Other American cities seriously considering or already working on new transit systems are Phoenix, Charlotte, Kansas City, Louisville, and Tampa Bay:
Phoenix's Valley Metro system, which has a very well developed bus system, is catching on in which the idea of "circulators" or buses which go out into neighborhoods (The new strategy has met with resounding approval of the public and will be implemented through the next two years). Phoenix is far ahead of other cities preparing their rail system. Deep in the middle of construction, the Phoenix Metro Light Rail system is "on time and on budget" to be completed by December, 2008.
Charlotte is also in construction mode working on a 15-station, 10 mile long system with 7 "park-and-ride" locations.
Kansas City's proposed system, while well structured and with voter approved special-option taxes, has not gone before the FTA yet.
Louisville is in a very heated debate on the issue with strong opinions on both sides of the issue. Even the Sierra Club and the Coalition for the Advancement of Regional Transportation have jumped on the bandwagon to get the ball rolling on a new federally assisted transit system.
Tampa Bay passed a resolution last week to focus on transit, however the resolution "does not call for a specific solution to our transportation issues, it (only) indicates a need to address these issues and examine all opportunities."
Many cities like Tampa Bay will posture and present vague open-ended goals for a future transit system to show they are "forward thinkers" while more progressive cities like Phoenix and Charlotte have already committed their resources and plan to take their rapid-transit projects responsibly and seriously. The most important cities to focus on are going to be those with the will and the voter support, yet still lack the funding to complete their systems. These cities, including Seattle and especially Louisville, need extra attention and support from outside resources if their plans are ever going to be realized.
Sources:
Charlotte News Observer, Kansas City Business Journal, Tampa Bay Business Journal, KVOA News 4, Tuscon, AZ, The (Louisville) Courier Journal, American Society of Civil Engineers, Urbanrail.net
