As the clairvoyant Morning Fizz told you this morning, the state Senate transportation budget—just unveiled at a press conference by Senate transportation chair Sen. Mary Maragaret Haugen (D-10, Camano, La Conner) this afternoon—does not include previously promised-funding ($30 million) to prep I-90 for light rail, i.e., HOV lanes.
Here’s the deafening irony from today’s press conference: Sen. Haugen repeatedly reminded reporters that the slashed transportation budget—a $514 million shortfall in this biennium—was unavoidable because transportation projects rely on the gas tax, and, given that there’s a recession on and gas prices are so high—people are driving less; i.e., they’re using public transit. So, there’s less gas tax revenue.
Her transportation committee’s response: Cut transit funding.
During the Q&A, Seattle Times transportation reporter Mike Lindblom, pointed out another frustrating thing about the cut: Voters, those people who are driving less, overwhelmingly approved Sound Transit expansion across I-90 just last November.
Sen. Fred Jarrett (D-41, Mercer Island, Bellevue) fielded Linblom’s “question” saying he “took issue with the idea that the legislature was backing away from its commitment.”
He explained: “It’s in the budget. It’s just outside the parameters of this budget.”
Jarrett was referring to the fact that 31 projects, including the I-90 HOV Improvement, were identified in the budget as “delayed pending additional, future transportation revenue.”
