Plan B, now in the making

Proponents of the defeated Proposition 1 roads-and-transit package insisted the plan was take-it-or-leave-it — there is no Plan B, they said repeatedly. But that was always just campaign talk.

Of course, there will be another alternative. It will take time, and it should. Before we make our recommendations, a few lessons from the failed and flawed roads-and-transit package:

• Release one price tag and don't mention another number, ever. So many cost figures were discussed, the public was never certain which was correct. The mentality became, if the experts don't know the true cost, how would we?

• Voters know a kitchen sink when they see one. This proposal was too big and tried to accomplish too many things.

• Be very clear about what residents are actually buying.

The next package must be smaller. Pick the exact projects that must be done for safety and economic vitality and get rid of wouldn't-it-be-nice proposals.

A starting list of must-haves:

• Highway 520 has to be redone before it falls into the lake. While redoing it, it must be expanded to accommodate traffic to job centers in Bellevue and Redmond. Pay for it in part with tolls.

• Replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct, either with a new structure or a sensible surface option.

• Perhaps extend light rail to Northgate. The density is already there, but this may have to wait until the first light-rail line opens.

• In Snohomish County, do key interchanges to Interstate 5, expand Highway 9 and improve Highway 2. Pick only the must-dos.

• Pierce County: Do Highway 167. Make that the priority.

• Bring on congestion pricing to change motorist behavior at peak times. In other words, get the most out of roadways we already have.

If proponents lick their wounds from defeat, a new, pared-down proposal could be ready within a year or two.

Voters are reasonable. Just as they manage their own family budgets, they know they cannot afford everything. Presented with a more-manageable package, they will do what must be done.