Group forms to fight light rail

As the campaign season approaches on a transportation ballot measure, an advocacy group called the Washington Traffic Institute has formed to oppose Sound Transit's plans to expand light rail.

The group is led by Bill Eager, an engineer; Bruce Nurse, vice president of Bellevue mall developer Kemper Freeman's organization; and Kathryn Serkes, a public-affairs consultant. At its Web site, truthabouttraffic.org, the group argues that rail won't solve congestion.

Sound Transit is now building 14 miles of light rail in the Seattle area to open in late 2009, with plans for a three-mile tunnel to Husky Stadium by 2016, and — if voters pass the $37 billion "Roads & Transit" measure this fall — another 50 miles to reach Tacoma, the Overlake area and Snohomish County.

Transit comprises $23 billion of the regional package, including inflation, overhead, financing and operations through 2027; Sound Transit says its cost, in 2006 dollars, is only $10.8 billion for construction and trains.