Move Seattle

A proposed amendment to the next Seattle transportation levy pushes the city to build 500 blocks of new sidewalks in five years. However, SDOT says that goal likely isn't achievable without more funding and broader changes.

Amending the Mayor's final proposal for a transportation levy, committee chair Rob Saka has revised the proposal by increasing funding for new sidewalks, freight mobility, and electric vehicle charging.

The Urbanist’s Publisher Doug Trumm was recently on Crystal Fincher's Hacks and Wonks podcast to discuss the Seattle transportation levy proposal, which came in well short of where safe streets advocates were pushing the mayor to go. The episode is a good primer on the levy debate.

After building over 40 miles of protected bike lanes since 2015, the City of Seattle only promises around 10 additional miles through 2032. The potential for extra projects depend on additional funding beyond the mayor's levy proposal.

The Seattle Department of Transportation's project delivery is ramping up in 2024. What does that tell us about where the department is heading under a new levy?

A recent poll found Seattle would support a $1.9 billion transportation levy focused on fix-it-first and safety investments, but the City's proposal currently sits at $1.45 billion.

Responding to pushback that his $1.35 billion levy proposal was too small and car-focused, Mayor Harrell added another $100 million in pedestrian, bike, and transit investment.

Seattle's draft transportation levy takes a big step back when it comes to public transit investments, only proposing two full corridor upgrades and allocating less overall funding to transit.