The Seattle Time Jan 1 article, “Sound Transit’s Leader is postponing part of his raise” typifies the paper’s Traffic Lab response to Dow Constantine’s ineptness. Constantine will immediately have his 2025 salary, $450,000, raised to $474,276. But, at his request, a $30,000 “performance” award and $28,457 from receiving “outstanding” from the board will be delayed. However, he will eventually get the $532,733 this year, 35 days of vacation convertible to cash at some rate, and more money added to his retirement fund than the $34,750 given last year.
The Sound Transit Board's decision last year to unanimously hire Constantine was based on their assessment he had the “sophisticated local knowledge and commitment to building the Puget Sound rail network”. Yet, he hasn’t been able to propose how to fund the $35 billion the board added in 2025 for the current $185 billion long term need (up from $54 billion voters approved in 2016).
Even more important, Constantine fails to recognize Sound Transit’s Puget Sound rail network won’t reduce the area’s congestion. That 4-car trains won’t provide the capacity needed to reduce peak hour roadway congestion and cost too much to operate off peak. That existing bus transit from Snohomish Community Transit, King County Metro, and Pierce County Transit had the capacity and flexibility needed to meet current and future demand. That the cost of providing access needed for those routes was dwarfed by the cost of providing access at light rail stations.
Thus, light rail tracks should have never been extended past UW Stadium, across I-90 Bridge, and beyond SeaTac airport. Commuters using the extensions to Northgate and Lynnwood in 2025 were far less than predicted, despite Sound Transit terminating bus routes at light rail stations to enhance ridership. Constantine apparently not recognizing that reducing bus routes reduces transit capacity into Seattle and that transferees reduce access to downstream 1 Line riders. Constantine’s ineptness continues his support for an extension to Everett that fails any rational cost/benefit analysis.
His decision to “want to be judged” by East Link debut suggests he doesn’t understand the 2 Line problems later this year. Routing the Line from Redmond to Lynnwood for half the I-5 corridor trains will presumably require 4-car trains; doubling the operating Starter Line costs, but few added riders. Problems with Sound Transit assuring 1 Line and 2 Line returning from Federal Way and Redmond can safely merge to go through DSTT. A competent transit CEO would’ve recognized that 2 Line trains should be terminated prior to going through DSTT, with demand set by east side transit demand.
The bottom line is Constantine’s 2026 raises, despite his ineptness, are the result of an equally inept Sound Transit Board, most of whom he selected. The 2 Line May debut he wanted to be judged by will “likely” demonstrate the result.
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