Sound Transit’s light rail extension to Federal Way ain’t gonna happen anytime soon, if ever. If it ultimately gets scrapped, South King County commuters have former Sound Transit board member Rob McKenna—the current Republican attorney general—to thank for helping to spare them the indignity of comfortable, reliable, traffic-separated light rail.
Originally scheduled to reach South 272nd Street by 2023, construction will now be delayed at least a decade, or canceled entirely, thanks to a weak economy that has already bled $3.9 billion from Sound Transit, no more so than in South King County, where sales tax receipts are down 30 percent. And thanks to the “subarea equity” provision McKenna championed—requiring revenue be spent in the regional subarea in which it is raised—Sound Transit has zero flexibility to move funds around.
While McKenna once derided efforts to repeal the provision as “crazy,” King County Council member Julia Patterson has a different take on subarea equity. “[It] is a terrible way to build a regional system,” Patterson told Seattlepi.com. “The poorer areas… end up not connected to regional transit.”
But that may be what McKenna, who represented the wealthy Eastside subarea, always intended. 
This is one of my beefs with ST. Seatac Airfield or S.200th do not generate maximum riders on the initial line. There are too few purposes to ride southbound. Seatac is a place people go when they’re going somewhere else, in a plane. S.200th is pure park-n-ride. There’s talk about reaching Highline Community College and that’s good, but some station in Federal Way would be better to spur redevelopment and attract rail-riders.
Wow, complaining that a train that goes to nowhere won’t be coming to a nowhere near you.
If it doesn’t go to 320th, what does it matter?
If it doesn’t go to the Tacoma rail terminal, or Everett, is it really a “regional rail system”?
We now have the modern equivalent of the Seattle Monorail, nice to look at, fun to sight see from, but it is a train to nowhere.
Off KKKourSSe!That SShenanigan has always been the KKKaSSe in AmericKKKa!Underfund the poor/non-Whites in the USA!(But don’t stop underpaying and overtaxing them,oKKKay?)
Fire McKenna, and don’t elect him as governor. Federal Wayites, take note. He doesn’t like us.
So, first you give the reasons this boondoggle is going down the crapper, then straight from your liberal playbook find a Republican to blame based on a totally separate matter. And or course you must make it look like it’s a direct attack on the poor. So predictable. Yawn.
@5 – I lol’d.
@5, How’s that personal responsibility working for you?
Hey, this idea might help someone who isn’t mega-wealthy, we should kill it!
Look, this idea to help people who aren’t mega-wealthy didn’t work because we killed it.
See? Government never works! (Because we keep killing ideas to help people who aren’t mega-wealthy!) It’s all the LIBERAL’s fault!!!
Projection, it’s not just for cineplexes
@7,
Reality, it isn’t for the Cynickal.