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Sound Transit (A Regional Transit Authority) Light-Rail, Commuter-Rail, and Bus Service Expansion Proposition No. 1[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
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Sound Transit 3, abbreviated as ST3, was a ballot measure during the November 2016 elections in Seattle, Washington, proposing an expansion of the regional public transit system. The measure was proposed by Sound Transit, which was established by a similar initiative passed in 1996 and expanded by the Sound Transit 2 vote in 2008, who have operated regional transit systems in the Seattle metropolitan area since 1999. On November 8, 2016, Sound Transit 3 was approved by over 54 percent of voters in the Puget Sound region; voters in Pierce County rejected the measure, but the measure passed in King and Snohomish counties, and had an overall majority.
The $53.8 billion Sound Transit 3 plan will expand the existing Link light rail system to the suburbs of Tacoma, Federal Way, Everett and Issaquah, as well as the Seattle neighborhoods of Ballard and West Seattle. The local portion of the measure would be partially funded by increases in sales tax, motor vehicle excise tax, and property tax. The use of the motor vehicle tax, which included an older depreciation scale for vehicles, became a source of major controversy after the measure was passed.
The resulting transit network after the completion of Sound Transit 3 is planned to include 62 miles (100 km) of additional light rail serving 37 new stations; the entire 116-mile (187 km) light rail system would carry an estimated 600,000 daily passengers. A Sounder commuter rail extension to DuPont and bus rapid transit lines on State Route 522 and Interstate 405 are also part of the package. The package's projects are set to open in stages from 2024 to 2041, with light rail construction beginning in the late 2020s for most extensions.
- ^ "Sound Transit Resolution No. R2016-17" (PDF). Sound Transit. June 23, 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 26, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2016.