Commentary: How Does $100 Billion in New Taxes Sound?

by Lee Swoboda
Common Sense Kitsap

August 25, 2002

Kitsap County, WA - I have good news and bad news about R-51. The good news is for a change WSDOT [Washington State Department of Transportation] is actually promising to lay down pavement. The bad news is most of the pavement will be HOV lanes the majority of us will never be able to use. The worst news is the total tag to taxpayers is not the advertised $5 billion, but more likely closer to "one-hundred billion dollars" to parody Dr. Evil (Austin Powers' fictional arch nemesis) including matching funds from local "partners." The "partners" are mostly local taxpayers.

Oh gosh. Wait a minute. The local taxpayers are the same folks as the State and Federal taxpayers--you and me. So let me get this straight. The State will pick our pockets, give the money to the Counties and Cities, who will pick our pockets again to "match" the State and Federal money. Hmmmm!

In fact, the initial cost of R-51 won't even be the advertised $5B, but more like $6.6 billion.

For perspective, the State's total operating budget (excluding transportation and capital spending) is $22.6 billion annually.

Where available, we used the WSDOT estimates for total project costs. Alas, there were some glaring omissions (to be generous), such as the cost of "fixing" I-405 through Bellevue. Can you say "big bucks," boys and girls? An "inadvertent oversight" I'm sure.

Check the numbers for yourself. They're mostly from the WSDOT Web site. [Summary] Where WSDOT declined to make estimates (some glaring omissions) I found estimates by others in the public forum or extrapolated WSDOT estimates.

For a "no additional cost" alternative, see Kemper Freeman's plan [Downloads] or I-267 at [Permanent Offense]

Here are some interesting "dirty little secrets" about R-51 you probably won't find in the "mainstream media:"

• R-51 pays for only 7% of proposed road projects, but 99% of proposed HOV, environmental and non-road projects (excluding the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, which is an HOV project that is 27% funded by R-51). Talk about social engineering!

• R-51 is a tax increase of $6.6 billion, the largest in state history, but the total cost of the projects R-51 will put in motion will require an additional $60.7 billion(with a 'B') tax increase to complete

• Many projects require local "partners," which are primarily county taxpayers.

• Does not include the infamous WSDOT cost overruns

• About 50% of the proposed projects are HOV and transit lanes (with no proposal to open HOV lane access in off-peak hours). In spite of the suspect claim that HOV lane use in Seattle is growing (http://www.commuterchallenge.org/cc/news_apr02_hovdata.html) HOV use nationwide is declining (http://rppi.org/carpoollanes.html), so R-51 is obviously another attempt a social engineering: herding the "common rabble" into cities so the pointy-headed elites can use the pristine countryside as their personal playground.

• $6.6B in R-51 costs constructs about 135.5 miles of actual pavement (mostly HOV lanes)

• Additional $ in NEW TAXES will be required to complete the "highway" projects

• Total of about 300 road miles (mostly HOV lanes) @ $410M/mile! (Yes, some of these are bridges and interchanges, but really!)

• All project estimates are conspicuously "low balled"

• Obvious "pork barrel." Most counties get a slab of bacon. Oink oink!

  • Benton County -- R-51 provides 8 miles of pavement for $59M (8 total miles of pavement for $59M)

  • Clallam County -- R-51 provides 2 miles of pavement for $3M (2 total miles of pavement for $3M)

  • Clark County -- R-51 provides 7 miles of pavement for $179M (16.7 total miles of pavement for $1466M)

  • Cowlitz County -- R-51 provides 0 miles of pavement for $5M (1 total miles of pavement for $33M)

  • Grant County -- R-51 provides 16 miles of pavement for $35M (16 total miles of pavement for $35M)

  • King County -- R-51 provides 19 miles of pavement for $3280M (125 total miles of pavement for $40355M)

  • Kitsap County -- R-51 provides 8 miles of pavement for $26M (9 total miles of pavement for $26M)

  • Kittitas County -- R-51 provides 0 miles of pavement for $6M (1 total miles of pavement for $89M)

  • Klickitat County -- R-51 provides 1 miles of pavement for $17M (2 total miles of pavement for $17M)

  • Lewis County -- R-51 provides 7 miles of pavement for $85M (19 total miles of pavement for $469M)

  • Mason County -- R-51 provides 0 miles of pavement for $7M (0 total miles of pavement for $7M)

  • Pend Oreille County -- R-51 provides 14 miles of pavement for $16M (14 total miles of pavement for $16M)

  • Pierce County -- R-51 provides 2 miles of pavement for $854M (7 total miles of pavement for $3196M)

  • Skagit County -- R-51 provides 1.5 miles of pavement for $60M (2 total miles of pavement for $73M)

  • Snohomish County -- R-51 provides 9 miles of pavement for $386M (16 total miles of pavement for $18499M)

  • Spokane County -- R-51 provides 2 miles of pavement for $242M (9 total miles of pavement for $1481M)

  • Stevens County -- R-51 provides 0 miles of pavement for $2M (0 total miles of pavement for $2M)

  • Thurston County -- R-51 provides 0 miles of pavement for $2M (2 total miles of pavement for $3M)

  • Wahkiakum County -- R-51 provides 1 miles of pavement for $5M (2 total miles of pavement for $5M)

  • Walla Walla County -- R-51 provides 9 miles of pavement for $32M (18 total miles of pavement for $131M)

  • Whatcom County -- R-51 provides 13 miles of pavement for $88M (13 total miles of pavement for $88M)

  • Whitman County -- R-51 provides 12 miles of pavement for $25M (12 total miles of pavement for $25M)

  • Yakima County -- R-51 provides 4 miles of pavement for $54M (5 total miles of pavement for $54M)