Bridging the Gap

In 2006, Seattle voters passed a nine-year, $365 million levy for transportation maintenance and improvements known as Bridging the Gap. Because the ballot measure called for a fixed tax amount -- at $365 million -- the money comes in even while sales taxes, car-tab taxes and others decline. The levy is complemented by a commercial parking tax ($127.5 million) and an employee hours tax ($51.5 million) and over life of the levy the total expected revenue from the three sources is $544 million. Together they add approximately $80 million to the Seattle Department of Transportation’s budget in 2008, dramatically increasing available funds for transportation capital projects and needed infrastructure maintenance. Bridging the Gap will address the City's transportation challenges and create a strong foundation for Seattle's transportation future by reducing the maintenance backlog and investing in major transportation projects.

The nine-year goals of Bridging the Gap are to:
* Reduce the infrastructure maintenance backlog.
* Pave and repair Seattle streets.
* Make seismic upgrades to the most vulnerable bridges.
* Improve pedestrian and bicycle safety and create safe routes to schools.
* Increase transit speed and reliability.

In 2008, Seattle paved 41 lane miles of city streets, restriped 1,349 lane miles of arterials, planted 923 trees and replaced old faded street name signs at 1,071 intersections. Additionally, Seattle striped 36 lane miles of bike lanes and sharrows, built 15 blocks of new sidewalk and repaired seven stairways, built seven safe routes to school projects, and secured 20,000 new transit service hours.