Online open house now available for public input on system access funding proposals
Sound Transit System Access Fund will support projects that make it easier for more people to ride transit
The 2016 voter-approved Sound Transit 3 System Plan included a System Access Fund for projects such as safe sidewalks, protected bike lanes, shared-use paths, bus transfer facilities, and new pickup and drop-off areas. The System Access Fund is allocated equally among Sound Transit’s five subareas for projects that make it easier and more convenient to get to transit.
Earlier in 2019, Sound Transit opened a call for projects to solicit proposals from local governments and transit agencies. Sound Transit received 53 applications from 33 jurisdictions totaling more than $86 million in requests. In this first round of funding, the Sound Transit Board of Directors will allocate up to $10 million per subarea for a total of up to $50 million.
Sound Transit is now inviting the public to an online open house to provide input to help determine which projects should receive System Access Funds. The online open house is available at https://systemaccessfund.infocommunity.org/ starting today through August 23.
Sound Transit staff evaluated the project proposals based on policy and technical factors, rating applications high, medium, or low for each factor, and assigning each project an overall rating of highly recommended, recommended, or not recommended. The online open house is an opportunity for the public to learn more about the System Access Fund and provide Sound Transit with input that will help inform how these resources are distributed.
In September, Sound Transit staff plan to review evaluated projects and public comments with the Executive Committee of the Sound Transit Board. The Sound Transit Board is expected to award this initial round of System Access Funds to projects later this year.
For more information about the System Access Fund, please visit https://www.soundtransit.org/system-expansion/creating-vibrant-stations/connecting-to-stations/system-access-fund
CONTACT: John Gallagher, (206) 689-4980, john.gallagher@soundtransit.org