Is the Legislature trying to block light rail to the Eastside?

Earlier today the Senate Transportation Committee released the proposed transportation budget for the 2009-2011 biennium. Left out of the list of funded projects are the two way transit and HOV operations improvements, which are a prerequisite for Sound Transit’s East Link light rail line.

The House isn’t expected to include money for upgrading Interstate 90 in its transportation budget, either.

In our view, Olympia’s slavish support for wasteful highway widening projects at the expense of environmentally friendly transit and HOV improvements is shameful. Were legislators simply not paying attention when voters overwhemingly approved Sound Transit 2 last November?

Andrew Villeneuve

Andrew Villeneuve is the founder and executive director of the Northwest Progressive Institute, as well as the founder of NPI's sibling, the Northwest Progressive Foundation. He has worked to advance progressive causes for over two decades as a strategist, speaker, author, and organizer. Andrew is also a cybersecurity expert, a veteran facilitator, a delegate to the Washington State Democratic Central Committee, and a member of the Climate Reality Leadership Corps.

Recent Posts

If Trump gets back into power, he plans to flout the Constitution and become a dictator

Time's Eric Cortellessa was granted multiple audiences with Donald Trump and wrote a chilling report…

3 days ago

Donald Trump hoped to sidestep abortion in this year’s campaign – Arizona’s near-total ban shows why he can’t

"While court proceedings are likely to delay implementation of the ruling, the political impact was…

3 weeks ago

Caitlin Clark stops by Weekend Update, Kate McKinnon returns to SNL for cold open with Ryan Gosling

Watch highlights from the seventeenth episode of SNL’s forty-ninth season, hosted by Ryan Gosling, with…

3 weeks ago

These billionaires abandoned Trump after January 6th – taxes are bringing them back in line

The Los Angeles Times' David Lauter reports: "Many of the nation’s richest people said after…

4 weeks ago

Tesla’s sales drop, a sign that its grip on the electric vehicles market is slipping

"Sales of the company’s electric cars dropped in the first three months of the year,…

1 month ago

SNL recruits Scarlett Johansson to lampoon Katie Britt’s creepy State of the Union response

Watch highlights from the fourteenth episode of SNL’s forty-ninth season, hosted by Josh Brolin, with…

2 months ago