Seattle mayor wants big money for big changes on city streets, sidewalks, and bridges

Nearly $1.5 billion over eight years.

That’s how much Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell wants voters to approve for things like street repairs, bridge maintenance, construction, improved safety, and an expanded bike network across the city.

Harrell released a draft plan for the newest transportation levy proposal last month.

And, after receiving public input, he announced Friday that he’s added $100 million to the price tag.

City officials say some of the top priorities raised by neighbors include better connectivity to light rail stations for pedestrians and cyclists, and sidewalk construction and repairs.

“We know there’s still work to do to fulfill our vision for Seattle’s transportation system,” Harrell said at a press conference Friday.

“Buses carrying students and passengers get slowed down by traffic. We know that our sidewalks are buckled and need repairs to be safe and accessible, we know that our streets have potholes that slow down everyone regardless as to your mode of transportation.”

The largest chunk of the funds, more than $420 million, is earmarked to repave the city’s busiest streets and improve infrastructure for people walking, rolling, biking and taking transit.

More than $220 million is set aside for bridge maintenance. An additional $114 million will go towards expanding the city’s protected bike lanes, maintaining current bike lanes, and connecting schools to bike lanes, paths, and neighborhood greenways.

Safety, sidewalk construction and repair, and addressing climate change are also among the buckets funded in the proposed levy.

Anna Zivarts, director of the Disability Mobility Initiative Program with Disability Rights Washington, said Seattle has a great transit system, buses, and sidewalks in much of the city. But more work is needed.

“Sixty percent of our streets have sidewalks that are either missing or inaccessible and we have to fix that,” Zivarts said.

Zivarts said it’s exciting that the levy proposal begins to address these issues, but it’s not enough to complete the sidewalk network.

Seattle’s current transportation levy, approved by voters in 2015, costs the owner of a median-priced Seattle property about $24 per month, according to the city.

The new levy would raise that amount by about $17 per month to $41.

The new levy will now go before the city council and is expected to go before voters in November, just before the current Move Seattle levy expires.