STM funding supports planning, design, and/or construction of several different types of transit projects. These projects improve transit reliability, accessibility, and safety so that we can provide a better experience for people traveling to and from transit.
- Transit Corridors: Large-scale improvements along long stretches of bus routes with a goal to reduce bus travel times, keep buses moving reliably, make it safer and easier to get to the bus. This includes things like repairing streets, sidewalks, and bus stops.
- Transit Operations and Reliability: Helping buses travel more reliably with improvements like bus lane paving and painting, transit signal priority
- Safe Access to Transit & Transit Spot Improvements: Helping people access transit more safely and comfortably with improvements near transit stops like pedestrian signals, crosswalks, sidewalks, lighting, and wayfinding, boarding pads, repainting red bus lanes, or safety measures to reduce the risk of collisions between the Streetcar and other vehicles.
Since 2020, we have increased how much of STM funding we invest in Transit Capital Projects and currently spend about $15 million per year on these types of investments.
How do we choose what projects to invest in?
We invest STM funding with these goals in mind:
- Spend STM resources how Seattle voters intended, per legislation
- Spend STM resources on priorities of the Seattle Transit Advisory Board, a group of community members focused on transit access in Seattle. These priorities are:
- New transit priority corridors to improve travel time
- Enhancing safety at bus stops with better lighting and seating
- Wayfinding improvements for easier access to transit
- Support completing transportation levy commitments to voters
- Provide funding for planning large capital projects, which can help the City secure state or federal funding in the future for other phases of the projects like design and construction
- Invest in traditionally underserved communities in Seattle
