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Frequently Asked Questions
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Sound Transit District |
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| RTID district Total registered voters: |
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* As of August 23, 2007
** As of September 10, 2007
The difference of between the number of voters in the RTID and Sound Transit is district was: 93,408 more in the RTID district than in Sound Transit.
On November 6, 2007, voters rejected the plan by a vote of 56.16% to 43.84% in the proposed RTID district.
RTID Plan Costs, Revenues and Finances
What was the estimated cost of the RTID Plan?
RTID Blue Print for Progress was a coordinated plan to improve critical transportation corridors, invest in transit friendly improvements and build new bridges to reduce traffic backups and keep people and freight moving in the most congested corridors in Pierce, King and Snohomish counties. These projects and capital facilities were estimated to cost approximately $7.0 billion in 2006 dollars ($9.7 billion in Year of Expenditure dollars).
RTID’s intensively reviewed financial plan also included reserves and funds to cover debt service.
What were “year of expenditure” costs, and why were they so much higher than 2006 dollars?
“Year of expenditure” or YOE cost estimates were higher than the 2006 figures because they add in the estimated cost of compounded inflation over the 20-year period that the projects would have been constructed as well and associated risk assessments.
How much of the RTID plan would have been paid for through borrowing?
The RTID financial plan anticipated selling bonds to cover approximately $6.3 billion (YOE), or 65 percent, out of the plan’s project and capital facility costs of $9.7 billion (YOE). It estimated that bonds would have been paid off by 2037.
How much in interest payments would borrowing $6.3 billion entail?
The RTID plan anticipated issuing 30-year debt at a 6 percent interest rate. These terms were similar to those used by other public agencies.
RTID would have issued bonds incrementally between 2008 and 2027 to raise the $6.3 billion in YOE dollars. Assuming that the debt was paid off early when there was sufficient cash to cover outstanding principal, it was an estimated $12.7 billion in debt service (principal plus interest). All debt was assumed to be paid of by 2037.
This means the ratio of debt service to principal was approximately 2.0 to 1. This ratio was favorable compared to other debt-financed public projects as displayed in the table that follows.
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Comparison of RTID to Other Debt Financed Public Projects |
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| Issuer/Project |
Term
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Percent of Capital Costs Funded by Bonds
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Ratio of Debt Service to Principal Borrowed
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| RTID |
30 years
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65%
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2.0
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| ST2 |
30 years
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41%
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2.2
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| Sound Move |
30 years
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34%
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2.3
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| Level 30-year debt (typical home mortgage) |
30 years
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>= 80%
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2.0
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47 years
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120%
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5.7
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| City of
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30 years
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100%
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2.1
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25 years
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93%
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2.2
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| Denver RTD's FasTracks (2007 series) |
28 years
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74%
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2.2
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| Tri-Met's 2005-2007 series/Airport Extension |
30 years
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54%
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2.2
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| Bay Area Toll Authority 2007 A1 |
40 years
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62%
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2.1
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Why weren't debt service costs added to the total price tag?
They were included in RTID’s financial plan, but per typical practice they were not included with the project costs. For example, when describing the cost of homes, homeowners cite the purchase price, not the purchase price plus the amount of interest paid over the course of a 30-year mortgage.
What was the total cost of RTID in YOE over the 20 year construction period and the 10 year to pay off bonds?
| YOE and Nominal Dollar | |||||||||||||
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Was the total cost of the RTID plan $9.7 billion?
The $9.7 billion (YOE) number for project expenditures comes from the RTID financial plan’s “Sources and Uses” chart (page 88 of the Blueprint for Progress.) This chart covers the period of 2008 through 2027 and accurately summarizes the revenue sources that were part of the plan as well as their intended uses, all in YOE dollars.
However, this is not the correct number to describe the “total cost” of RTID. The total also included $242 million in financial reserves and $193 million in administrative costs that were not part of the project expenditures. The “Sources and Uses” chart also included an estimated debt service cost of $4.3 billion through 2027 (but did not include the additional debt service costs that extend beyond 2027).
What taxes would have been levied to pay for the RTID portion of the Roads & Transit ballot measure?
The RTID requested approval of a one tenth of one percent (0.1 %) of retail sales tax (not covering food or pharmaceuticals) and eighth tenths of one percent (0.8%) of Motor Vehicle Excise tax or $80 on every $10,000 value of a vehicle on car license tabs.
Do commercial vehicles pay the MVET?
Vehicles that would not have been taxed included campers, combination trucks, government vehicles, farm vehicles, fixed load vehicles, off-road vehicles, mopeds, school vehicles, snowmobiles, tow trucks, and travel trailers.
Commercial vehicles, for hire vehicles, buses, and large trucks would not have been taxed if the scale weight of the vehicle is greater than 6,000 pounds. Cars, vans, small trucks, and limousines used for commercial purposes or registered in a business name would have been taxed if the scale weight of the vehicle was under 6,000 pounds.
Where do I find the value of my vehicle?
State Law SB 6247 includes the applicable vehicle value schedule. It can be found at www.leg.wa.gov.
Was the financial plan reviewed by independent experts?
RTID’s financial plan was reviewed by a group of financial experts consisting of investment bankers and financial consultants in June 2004 and again in March 2007.
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How much was RTID paying for construction mitigation?
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* The Pierce County investment plan included an additional $23 million (2006) and $35 (YOE) million in non-motorized investments, including pedestrian and bicycle facilities.
What was the construction schedule for RTID projects over the next twenty years?
The majority of the projects to be funded by the RTID were owned by WSDOT. RTID worked with WSDOT, Sound Transit, and local governments to refine preliminary construction sequencing plans to ensure effective use of resources and minimiz construction impacts. For planning purposes, RTID’s financial plan included an estimated 20 year cash flow plan that made some assumptions about construction timing and funding levels needed for design and construction.
What are the cost escalators that DOT used when estimating?
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/biz/construction/CostIndex/CostIndexPdf/constructioncosts.pdf
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/biz/construction/constructioncosts.cfm
RTID project benefits
What were the proposed benefits that the region would have experienced if the RTID plan was built by 2028?
- Improve highways and bridges across the region, including park & ride lots, transit access, and non-motorized improvements such as sidewalks and bike lanes.
- Build approximately 186 new miles of highway lanes to increase traffic flow, including HOV lanes on SR 520, SR 167 and I-90.
- Reduce delay for trucks and other commercial vehicles that will benefit our economy, by at least $160 million annually, especially in the critical freight corridors of SR 167, SR 509 and SR 9.
- Save travel time with investments in key corridors when compared to not making road investments:
- Save up to 15 minutes for an average trip by 2027 from Renton to Bellevue on I 405
- Save up to 15 minutes of travel time on SR 9 from Mill Creek to Lake Stevens
- Save up to 8 minutes of travel time on SR 167 from Auburn to Renton
- Save up to 12 minutes of travel time on SR 520 Bridge from Seattle to Bellevue
- Save up to 15 minutes for an average trip by 2027 from Renton to Bellevue on I 405
- Increase speeds for buses and carpools by completing and adding HOV lanes and ramps:
- SR 167/ I-405 HOV interchange – increase speeds by approximately 10 mph
- SR 520 – increase speeds by up to 20 mph
- Fix urgent bridge safety problems, including repairing and replacing vulnerable bridges – SR 520, South Spokane Street Viaduct, the South Park Bridge, and SR 9 Bridge over the Snohomish River.
- Address 50 high traffic accident locations in the three counties such as the Federal Way Triangle, SR 522 and Paradise Lake Road near Maltby, and SR 167 in the Green River Valley.
- Address 88 center lane miles of high accident corridors, including SR 522 near Monroe, I-405 between Bellevue and Renton, SR 520 corridor, and SR 167.
- I-5/88th Corridor improvements providing traffic signals and intersection improvements.
- SR-99 Improvement Project, providing a center median, sidewalks, and traffic signals.
- Mercer Street Improvements, providing better traffic flow, improved crossings, and eliminate turn restrictions.
- I-5 Direct Access Project, providing an HOV direct access ramp and eliminating buses weaving through I-5 traffic.
- Spokane Street Viaduct improvements, providing a wider structure and new off ramps.
- Tacoma Mall Access, providing wider lanes and eliminating dangerous traffic weaving on I-5.
- SR-410/162 congestion relief, providing a reconstructed interchange and added lanes.
- Finish a seamless SR 167/I-405 HOV system in King County and building a new SR 167/I-405 interchange that connects to the HOV lanes on I-405 all the way to Snohomish County.
- Provide two-way HOV system open 24 hours a day on SR 520 and I-90 bridges across Lake Washington.
- Help buses move more easily in traffic by adding bus only ramps, bus-only lanes and bus turn-out lanes in key locations on I-5, I-405 & SR 167, on SR 99 in Shoreline and on the Spokane Street Viaduct.
- Increase the opportunity for people to choose alternatives to the car, which can save energy, improve air quality, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
- Work with PSRC to establish measurements to monitor environmental and public health impacts related to RTID funded projects and carbon emissions.
- Build bike lanes at 16 locations including Mercer Street Corridor in Seattle, SR 520, SR 531 near Arlington, SR 524 between Bothell and Lynnwood, and between SR 99 and 54th Avenue in Pierce County.
- Build sidewalks and crossings at 21 locations, including the East Sammamish Plateau at 244th Ave SE near SR 202, SR 410 in Sumner, SR 99 in Shoreline, and on the Lander Street Overpass in Seattle.
- Minimize traffic disruption during construction by funding additional transit service, managing traffic with new electronic traffic congestion signs and other new technologies, and commuter trip reduction incentives.
- Provide for $25 million in new trails and bicycle paths in Pierce County, including the Milton Interurban Trail.
- Provide storm water management improvements at six locations that benefit local rivers and lakes, including new storm water detention and management on the SR 520 Bridge over Lake Washington, SR 509 runoff to Pine Lake, and SR 167 runoff to Surprise Lake.
- Provide habitat improvements at three locations, including remove creosote saturated pilings and restoring aquatic habitat at the Edmonds Multi-Modal Facility, restoring Hylebos Creek near SR 167, and establishing a habitat preserve as part of the SR 704/176th Corridor project in Pierce County.
Additional benefits map with descriptions
Additional benefits map (image only)
How many pedestrian and bicycle improvements would have been made under the RTID proposal?
Snohomish County
• 11 pedestrian improvements
• 8 bicycle improvements
King County
• 7 pedestrian improvements
• 6 bicycle improvements
Pierce County
• 3 pedestrian improvements
• 2 bicycle improvements
How many park and ride slots would have been built under the RTID proposal?
Four new park & ride lots, totaling approximately 1,000 new spaces were proposed to serve the increasing demand for transit service generated by the rapid development in Snohomish County: two in the Marysville/Arlington portion of Snohomish County, and two in the southern portion of the SR 9 corridor. Specific locations were:
- Smokey Point Park & Ride (Smokey Point Boulevard and 169th Street): 374 stalls
- Cedar and Grove Park & Ride in Marysville (Cedar Avenue and Grove Street): 226 stalls
- Cathcart Park & Ride (in the vicinity of Cathcart Way and SR 9): 200 stalls
- SR-524 Park & Ride (in the vicinity of SR 524 and SR 9): 200 stalls
Additionally, the SR-167 Puyallup to Tacoma project would have assisted in funding acquisition of property for two park and ride lots. And Sound Transit 2 plan identified over 11,000 new park and ride slots.
What other environmental investments were in the RTID package?
The Blueprint identified $146 million for construction mitigation that would have required more transit service, new technologies such as congestion signage, real time lane management systems and innovative efforts for reducing trips.
- Transit investments (purchase of vehicles, park and ride lots, HOV and bus only lanes and interchanges) were moved up as early in the construction schedule as possible to help accommodate for increased ridership and options during construction.
- It identified possible corridors for future tolling and HOT lane programs,
- Encouraged flexible design standards for RTID funded projects that were sensitive to the surrounding environment such as reducing the size and scale of projects while at the same time ensuring safety for vehicles and pedestrians,
- Encouraged the purchase of hybrid vehicles or other clean technologies in our transit investments.
- Directed the PSRC to work to develop metrics to measure affect investments and possible improvements around climate change.
- Withheld funds for the Crossbase Highway in Pierce County until a mediated process occurs and a settlement is eached or fails. The RTID plan covered the cost for mediation and for technical and fact checking analyses.
RTID Accountability Measures
What Accountability measures were built into Blueprint for Progress?
Preserving voter intent
If the cost of a RTID project exceeded its original cost estimate by more than 20 percent, the RTID board would have had the option of submitting a ballot measure that redefined the scope of the project, its schedule, or its costs or the County Councils would have to cast public votes before RTID could proceed with the redefined project. This requirement was put in place to assure voters that RTID could not substitute a new project without resubmitting the issue to the voters.
Capping overhead costs
The RTID administrative and overhead costs would have been minimized. For projects costing up to $50 million, administrative and overhead costs were not to exceed 3% of the total construction and design project costs per year. For projects costing more than $50 million, administrative and overhead costs were not to exceed 3% of the first $50 million in costs, plus an additional 0.1% of each additional dollar above $50 million.
Creating an independent treasurer
RTID would have designated an independent treasurer.
Conducting independent annual audits
RTID would have been audited by the Washington State Auditor. Independent auditors would have been used at the discretion of the RTID Executive Board.
Establishing a bond
RTID would have required a bond with a surety company authorized in Washington, in an amount and under the terms and conditions RTID found to protect it against potential loss
SR 520 and tolling
Did the Roads & Transit measure provide enough funding to replace the SR 520 bridge?
The Roads and Transit plan proposed $1.1 billion (YOE) toward funding the SR520 bridge and HOV improvements. When combined with existing state funding and federal funds and funding from potential state policy actions, such as tolls and other measures there was adequate funding to replace the bridge with a six-lane span including HOV and bike lanes. Community and environmental mitigation were included in WSDOT cost estimates and were an important element of the mediation process already underway.
There didn't appear to be enough funding to rebuild the SR 520 Bridge even with RTID’s contribution. How will the project get completed?
Regional funds would have helped pay for increased capacity of existing facilities, including building a new six lane 520 bridge, with HOV lanes in each direction and the connections to I-405 and I-5. The State legislature and governor would have reviewed additional policy options for the state’s share of the funding for the SR 520 bridge and the road improvements. None of these funds would have been expended until the mediated process for the design of the new corridor was completed and a final financing plan was developed.
Would you have imposed tolls on SR 520 for this package?
RTID was planning to invest $1.1 billion (YOE) dollars to help fund increased capacity and safety on the SR 520 Bridge and corridor. The legislature required that the Blueprint for Progress identify a full funding strategy for the SR 520 Bridge and connections to I-405 and I-5. RTID did not have the authority to impose or collect tolls. That is only allowed under state law by the Washington State Transportation Commission and Legislature.
The Blueprint for Progress included in its SR 520 funding strategy an assumption of a range of $700 - $1.2 million in capital investment financed by tolls. The state was expected to consider policy options including tolling during the 2008 legislative session.
Regardless, under state law no construction, except for bridge pontoons, would have begun on SR 520 until the current mediation process (required by state law) concluded, a design chosen and a funding plan approved.
What did the State Treasurer’s report say about tolling?
In 2007, a Treasurer's report was released regarding tolling on SR 520 and I-90.
RTID Seattle Projects
Why was there no money for the viaduct?
State and city leaders indicated regional funding was not needed for the new tunnel concept or rebuild. At the City of Seattle’s request, the RTID Planning Committee reallocated the money to other regional transportation priorities such as the SR 520 Bridge, I-5 congestion improvements, and high priority projects in Seattle (list below).
Seattle priority projects:
• Spokane Street Viaduct
• Lander Street overpass
• Mercer Street/ I-5 connection
• South Park Bridge
• Direct access bus ramp:I-5 to Industrial Way S
• Additional funding for SR 520 bridge and corridor
What were the costs associated with the Seattle Projects; Mercer Street, Lander Overpass and the Spokane Street Viaduct?
RTID did not separate out the three projects since the City of Seattle was working on leveraging state, federal and "bridging the gap" fund for the projects. Instead if the ballot measure passed, the city would have received that $289 million (2006) for use in these projects and the amounts per project would have been decided by the City. RTID also proposed to fund the South Park Bridge $99 million (2006) and the I-5 Direct Access (Industrial Way Busway) connection at $83 million (2006.)
RTID Pierce County Projects
Why was the Cross base Highway in Pierce County included in the Blueprint for Progress when it was so controversial?
The funds for connecting the I-5 corridor to the Frederickson Manufacturing Area in East Central Pierce would have been subject to a mediation process that was expected to begin no sooner than January 2009. The Blueprint for Progress also identified specific requirements for the funding as well as mitigation and environmental enhancements.
The $246 million (2006) funding for this project would have improved access between I-5 and the Frederickson Manufacturing District in east central Pierce County. Near I-5 the proposal included:
• Rebuilding of the I-5/ Thorne Lane interchange to allow for eventual widening of I-5.
• Constructing an overpass of the railroad tracks to eliminate conflicts between trains and vehicles and the delays that occur.
• Improving access to the Ft. Lewis base entrance.
• Building a frontage road between the Gravelly Lake Rd. and Thorn Lane. Interchanges so that local traffic wouldn't have to get on I-5.
How would environmental concerns about the Cross-Base Highway be addressed?
The project would have implement eda range of environmental mitigation that meets or exceeds the latest environmental standards. A comprehensive summary of proposed mitigation is listed on page 42 of the Blueprint for Progress.
RTID and WSDOT bridges
Did the RTID fund any steel truss bridges like the one that failed in Minnesota?
RTID and Structurally Deficient Steel Truss bridges
- At the time of the ballot measure, there were 45 steel deck truss bridges in the state (both state and local).
- Seven of these were classified as "structurally deficient", but only one of the seven, the South Park Bridge, was within the proposed RTID area. The Blueprint for Progress identified funding for the replacement of the South Park Bridge. ($99 million 2006.)
- Four of the remaining bridges were programmed for funding out of local, state and federal funds and the remaining two were being monitored.
What bridges were in the RTID package?
RTID included funds in its package to help state owned earthquake vulnerable bridges and overpasses, the most prominent of which was SR 520.
There were other bridges proposed to be built or repaired with funds from the RTID package. For example, in Snohomish County, new bridges would have been built across the Snohomish River on SR 9 and across North Creek and Swamp Creek in SR 524 improvement project. These new structures would have been built to current design standards. The same was true for all new or replacement overpasses included in the package, such as Lander Street in Seattle. Improvements were also planned for the Spokane Street Viaduct. The bridges to be improved or replaced were:
- SR-520 Bridge over Lake Washington
- SR-9 Bridge over Snohomish River
- SR-524 replacement bridges at North and Swamp Creek crossings
- Lander Street Overpass over BNSF tracks
- Spokane Street Viaduct
- South Park Bridge
Additionally, the SR-167 Puyallup to Tacoma project would have assisted in funding acquisition of property for two park and ride lots. And Sound Transit 2 plan identified over 11,000 new park and ride slots.
Review more question and answers from public outreach events.
