(Image: SDOT)

Buried in this week’s release of Mayor Bruce Harrell’s proposed 2024 budget are signs of coming tight times at the Seattle Department of Transportation as its planned capital expenditures are being sliced by more than 40%.

One of the city’s most expensive departments, SDOT is planning to spend some $713 million across operations and capital investments like mobility improvements and projects on the waterfront in 2023, according to openbudget.seattle.gov.

Next year’s plan from Harrell’s office calls for more than $150 million of that to be lopped off in 2024 with a major cut to planned capital expenditures.

The 2024 budget planning comes in a city facing challenged revenue forecasts in coming years. A workgroup convened to brainstorm possible “alternative revenue” sources has proposed options including capital gains, vacancy, and congestion pricing taxes. For now, the city is working with what it has including its more than $200 million a year JumpStart tax on its largest employers like Amazon and Starbucks.

A\ driver of the SDOT cuts comes from shortfalls in speeding ticket revenue.

Harrell’s SDOT director Greg Spotts said the belt tightening forced the department to focus on its most important safety work including Safe Routes to School projects and smaller pedestrian safety projects across the city.

“Recent staffing changes at the Seattle Police Department created a gap in reviewing and issuing speeding tickets,” is how Spotts explains the snafu. “Combined with changing driving patterns, this resulted in a projected revenue reduction from school zone cameras over the next two years. The 2024 Proposed Budget includes changes at both SDOT and SPD to bring funding into balance.”

Delays will also mean revenue from new speeding cameras won’t help fix the shortfalls anytime soon.

The Urbanist reported on delayed pedestrian projects from ticket revenue shortfall earlier this year.

The proposed budget will next move to the Seattle City Council for debate and adjustments along with public hearings. The council has rolled out a new Seattle Budget Dashboard to help you keep track of changes.

A full rundown of the 2024 department budget from Spotts and SDOT is below:

Mayor Harrell’s Proposed 2024 SDOT Budget Update

You are receiving this email because you have expressed interest in SDOT projects and programs. We are pleased to share the budget does not come with significant changes for us or the project(s) or program(s) you are interested in. Continue reading to learn more. 

Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell released his Proposed 2024 Budget Update, reflecting his commitment to addressing Seattle’s urgent needs and advancing key priorities for safe, healthy, and thriving communities. The budget prioritizes public safety, affordable housing, and homelessness while revitalizing Downtown and promoting equity.

Under the Proposed 2024 Budget Update, we aim to realize a shared One Seattle vision, while aligning with SDOT’s values of safety, equity, sustainability, mobility, livability, and maintenance and modernization—readying our transportation infrastructure for the future. The Mayor’s fiscally-responsible approach is appreciated, especially as we navigate revenue shortfalls. For your reference here is information on the 2023-2024 Adopted SDOT Budget.

This year and next, our focus is on critical initiatives. The nine-year Levy to Move Seattle, which constitutes nearly 30% of our budget, concludes at the end of 2024. Meeting our commitments under this levy is paramount. Simultaneously, we’re collaborating with the community on the Seattle Transportation Plan, a 20-year vision that guides future investments.

Here are some SDOT highlights from this year and from the Mayor’s Proposed 2024 Budget Update:

Improving safety: Significant steps have been taken, such as elevating the City Traffic Engineer to Chief Transportation Safety Officer, enhancing pedestrian safety at intersections, and progressing various projects like construction on the Beacon Ave S and 15th Ave S Safety and  MLK Jr Way Safety Levy to Move Seattle projects in the next few months.

Prioritizing equity: The draft Seattle Transportation Plan emphasizes inclusivity, with efforts to serve communities of color, various income levels, ages, and abilities. In 2024, temporary positions working to improve access to transit and other travel options, with an emphasis on equity and including for historically-disadvantaged communities, will become permanent to ensure consistency in how SDOT programs invest in equity.

Sustainability initiatives: Efforts to increase Seattle’s tree canopy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions continue. Pilot projects with electric vehicles for street sweeping are underway. In 2024, $264,000 is being added to support planting and watering new trees in support of the new City Tree Ordinance.

Affordable mobility: This year, a partnership with the Seattle Housing Authority launched, providing free ORCA cards to residents and benefiting over 10,000 individuals. Support for transit access and the First Hill Streetcar line is ongoing. We continue to deliver on 137,500 Seattle Transportation Measure transit service hours annually and have completed the Levy to Move Seattle RapidRide H Project and Route 44 and Route 7 Transit Plus Multimodal Corridor Projects working with our partners at King County Metro.

Maintaining and modernizing infrastructure: In 2024, $3 million is allocated for bridge maintenance work, including new positions, and $1.5 million will be added to help fill potholes.

Emergency response: In 2024, $2.2 million is included for emergency response, creating a more sustainable long-term financial situation to manage the increasing need for winter weather response. The funding enables us to keep critical paths open for fire response, hospital access, and bus operations during heavy rains, snowstorms, and landslides.

Livability: Initiatives like waiving Street Use fees for food trucks and street vending until 2026 not only support Mayor Harrell’s Downtown Activation Plan but create welcoming places where neighbors want to linger and mingle. Next year we will invest $1 million in Downtown to open streets to people in the evenings and weekends, facilitate the addition of outdoor dining, and work with our partners to install new bus shelters, trash cans, and lighting.

Mayor Harrell’s Downtown Activation Plan includes Space Needle Thinking and considers the creation of a linear arts-entertainment-culture district connecting the two existing streetcar lines and multiple neighborhoods with a Culture Connector streetcar. In 2023, dedicated SDOT staff worked to update previous project assumptions, cost estimates, and timelines. While the Proposed 2024 Budget Update does not include design funding, when finalized later this year, the Culture Connector Delivery Assessment Report will inform a path forward.

Curbspace management: Parking rates are updated to cover transaction costs and align with local demand, supporting business access and reducing congestion. The proposed budget increases the minimum hourly parking rate from $0.50 to $1.00, and the maximum hourly rate from $5.00 to $8.00. Rates will not automatically change to $8.00. Three times a year, data and on-street studies determine parking demand. If occupancy is over 85%, rates increase by $0.50/hour and if it is below 70%, rates decrease by $0.50/hour.

Safety investments: Adjustments were made to address budget shortfalls, focusing on Safe Routes to School projects and pedestrian safety. Recent staffing changes at the Seattle Police Department created a gap in reviewing and issuing speeding tickets. Combined with changing driving patterns, this resulted in a projected revenue reduction from school zone cameras over the next two years. The 2024 Proposed Budget includes changes at both SDOT and SPD to bring funding into balance.

In the coming months, the City Council will review the Mayor’s Proposed 2024 Budget Update, with public hearings scheduled on October 18 and November 13. Your engagement and questions are encouraged. We remain committed to fulfilling Levy to Move Seattle commitments and enhancing safety as we work to transform transportation in Seattle.

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