News from King County Executive Dow Constantine

February 2019

Top: Executive Constantine thanked commuters at the King County Water Taxi dock on the final commute day of the Alaskan Way Viaduct closure.

The momentum for public transit is strong in King County

I was recently interviewed by The New York Times for an article on how the momentum for public transit has shifted in recent years from the East Coast to the West Coast, citing King County Metro's award as the best large transit system in North America, our strong ridership growth, and our major expansion of light rail service as examples.

Those same qualities were on display in the weeks after the coverage. We offered additional transit service that helped commuters get to work and back home during the Alaskan Way Viaduct closure, the biggest highway project we have experienced in generations.

We tripled the ridership on King County Water Taxis, and the 20 Metro buses we had ready on standby carried about 50,000 passengers during the three-week closure. It is a testament to our resourceful employees and the growing number of commuters in our rapidly growing region who take transit each day.  

People aren't just choosing transit during major infrastructure projects, either. We have increased Metro bus service eight times since 2015 to keep up with growing demand. And we are better integrating the service we provide to create a seamless transit network that offers a wide range of options that include buses, light rail, commuter rail, water taxis, and streetcars. 

With 22 new Sound Transit Link light rail stations scheduled to open by 2024, King County is becoming a place where more people can enjoy the best opportunities our vibrant metropolitan region has to offer without having to sit in traffic or pay for parking.

All of this reinforces the point that, indeed, the momentum for public transit is strong on the West Coast, particularly right here in our community.

Thank you, as always, for the opportunity to serve. 

Sincerely,

Dow Constantine
King County Executive

Read the press coverage >>

VIDEO: Joining 1,000 volunteers for the annual point-in-time count of people experiencing homelessness 

Executive Constantine joined more than 1,000 volunteers who participated in Count Us In, the annual point-in-time count of people experiencing homelessness in King County. In a short video, he talks about the actions King County has taken along with partners in government, business, and philanthropy to confront the homelessness crisis. 

Watch the video >>

VIDEO: Honoring a sacred commitment to ensure the survival of native kokanee salmon

Executive Constantine joined leaders from the Snoqualmie Tribe, the City of Sammamish, and other partners to celebrate the restoration of ancestral habitat for Lake Sammamish kokanee, a native salmon species on the brink of extinction after a sudden, alarming decline in returning spawners.

King County is removing barriers to healthy habitat throughout the region, which is critical to the survival of salmon that are important to the region's ecosystem, history, and culture. 

Watch the video >>

A unified campaign to stop human trafficking, bringing a successful approach to a regional scale

Executive Constantine joined leaders from the Port of Seattle, King County Council, King County Sheriff's Office, Seattle Police Department, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and other partners to launch a unified campaign to stop labor and sex trafficking in the region.

It is based on a successful campaign led in 2013 by King County that dramatically increased the number of survivors who called a national hotline to get the help they needed, such as medical care, financial assistance, and housing. Executive Constantine is helping bring that approach to a regional scale with a broader coalition that includes public, private, and nonprofit partners.

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Everybody can play! Making playgrounds, parks and athletic fields more accessible to kids with disabilities

King County partnered with Seattle Children's PlayGarden to develop a toolkit to help other playgrounds, parks, and athletic fields throughout the region make their facilities and activities more accessible to children who have disabilities.

The new toolkit will help organizations that offer activities to children and young people apply the successful approach that Seattle Children's PlayGarden has taken, which has been enhanced with funding from Executive Constantine's Best Starts for Kids initiative. 

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