Rail plan is running late but on track

After months of delay, Spokane’s light rail planning is hitting the fast track.

The Federal Transit Administration has signed off on the Spokane Transit Authority document describing and comparing the different alternatives, STA’s Light Rail Task Force is launching a final public opinion poll, and STA board members are preparing to select a preferred option for transporting people via rapid transit between downtown Spokane and Liberty Lake.

Whether that option will be pursued depends on public support. STA board members have repeatedly said they won’t build a light rail or bus rapid transit system without voter approval.

“I’m not going to vote for it if I’m not convinced that the people are willing to pay for it,” said Spokane Valley Councilman Rich Munson, a member of both the STA board and its light rail task force.

Depending on the option chosen, a mass transit system could cost anywhere from $65 million to $658 million, most likely to be paid for with increased sales taxes, Munson said.

So far, STA has spent $8.3 million studying light rail options, including federal grants. STA’s share is $1.6 million.

Planning tasks and the selection of a preferred alternative were expected to be completed by the end of 2005.

“That was our hope, but these things are complicated,” said Light Rail Project Manager K.C. Traver, who added the project encountered a few glitches.

For one thing, Federal Transit Administration officials asked for additional comparison and cost information unanticipated by STA. And the federal review process took longer than expected.

The FTA approved only last week the required draft environmental impact statement that explains and compares local light rail and bus rapid transit options. STA expects to have copies of it available for public review by the end of next week, at which time the 45-day public comment period will begin.

STA officials now hope to make a decision by April on which light rail option they prefer and whether to build it, said STA spokeswoman Molly Myers.

“I think there are a lot of folks just waiting for the results of the survey,” Myers said.

That survey will take place later this month, when Portland-based Moore Information will poll Spokane-area voters on the different light rail options and how much they would be willing to pay to build such a system.

“This is going to be a very scientific, unbiased survey,” Myers said.

It’s the fourth such survey STA will have conducted on light rail.

The extra time spent studying light rail has been worth it, Traver said. “We’re finally getting to the point where the community can finish its conversation and make a final decision that will go a long ways toward determining the long-range transportation infrastructure for the region.”