Haugen dissolves RTID, proposes regional transportation governance

OLYMPIA — Two separate bills are being introduced by the chair of the Senate Transportation Committee to redefine how transportation is governed at the regional level in Washington.

The first proposal by Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, Senate Bill 6771, is a technical fix to current statutes to formally put an end to the Regional Transportation Investment District (RTID).

“Puget Sound voters overwhelmingly rejected a three-county RTID last November, but the current statute would allow any of the three counties involved to try it again on their own, or in partnership with a single neighboring county,” said Haugen. “The bill I’m proposing would simply dissolve and repeal RTID from the statutes — it’s more a matter of legislative housekeeping than anything else.”

Meanwhile, Haugen is gathering support from legislators throughout the state for SB 6772 that would enable each part of Washington to create its own Regional Transportation Authority to address their specific road and transit needs.

The proposal includes expanding the existing Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority — commonly known as Sound Transit — into a Regional Transportation Authority. While the new Regional Transportation Authority won’t have expanded boundaries, it would have expanded project eligibility to include both roads and transit, a new governing board that would include both appointed and elected members, and broader financing options that include the ability to combine road and transit revenue.

“We need to get away from competing interests and towards more comprehensive transportation solutions,” Haugen said. “We need to move away from roads or transit and towards roads and transit.”
Haugen is encouraged that colleagues from each region of the state are on-board with her idea.

“We also need to allow each region the ability to have some local governance over its transportation needs,” said Haugen. “This isn’t just about Puget Sound — it’s about every region of our state having the ability to decide if they want to create coordinated, performance-based systems that are accountable to the local populations that rely on them.”

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