A large truck travels down the street in Ballard on a summer day. Photo: SDOT Blog stats: 1,000 words | 5-minute read
At-a-glance:
- Our SDOT Freight Program helps keep goods and services moving, supporting a vibrant economy and safer travel for everyone.
- We work closely with partners at the Port of Seattle, the railroads, freight operators and delivery drivers, e-cargo bike carriers, and many more to advance these shared goals.
- With the new voter-approved 2024 Seattle Transportation Levy, funding for our Freight Program has tripled to $45 million over the next 8 years.
- This funding allows us to invest more in the city’s freight network. We’re improving travel safety, completing maintenance and operations work, and delivering important freight-related projects of all sizes.
- To complete this high volume of work in the years ahead, we’ve moved the Freight Program within SDOT. It now resides in our Project Development Division.
- There, our freight team will work closely with experts focused on advancing large-scale projects through early planning and design stages.
Efficient freight movement is an essential ingredient for a thriving city and a prosperous economy that serves everyone’s needs. With this in mind, our Freight Program is taking center stage with the support of the new 2024 Seattle Transportation Levy approved by voters last fall.
We recently sat down with our SDOT freight experts, and here were the top themes they wanted you to know, as we prepare to take on more freight projects and initiatives than ever before.
“Freight is any goods movement in any mode. It touches anything from air to bike, rail to maritime operations, and how we deliver essential equipment and get food to people, grocery stores, and restaurants. It often works best when it operates behind the scenes, functioning without causing disruptions to the travel network.” – Christopher Eaves, SDOT Freight Program Manager
1) Increased Funding
- With the passage of the transportation levy, funding for the Freight Program has tripled to $45 million over the next 8 years.
- This significant increase will enable us to invest more effectively in Seattle’s freight network.
2) More Staff Capacity
- To support the growth of the Freight Program, we’ll hire a Senior Transportation Planner in 2025.
- This new role will focus on work plan development and project management, helping to deliver impactful outcomes for the freight community.
3) Closer Coordination
- The Freight Program recently transitioned from SDOT’s Transportation Operations Division to our Project Development Division.
- This change better aligns the Freight Program with the SDOT teams responsible for proactive planning and program/project development.
- It will foster stronger collaboration and more cohesive project delivery.
“We’re entering a new era for the Freight Program. The new transportation levy provides $45 million over the next 8 years to support spot improvements and potentially larger, more significant capital projects. Now the freight team will be in the same group planning critical projects to support more efficient freight movement. Freight collaboration is also a ‘Key Move’ identified in the 20-year Seattle Transportation Plan. We look forward to continuing to build our partnerships with the community and all of our freight stakeholders.” – Jim Curtin, SDOT Project Development Division Director
4) Advancing our 20-Year Vision
- The freight community played an integral role in developing our long-term vision for our transportation system in the Seattle Transportation Plan and the reorganization is a key step toward implementation.
- By increasing collaboration across programs and design teams, SDOT will deliver more integrated and effective solutions for freight mobility.
5) Proactively Engaging Stakeholders
- We are committed to keeping key stakeholders informed throughout this process, and working with the entire freight community and traveling public on an ongoing basis.
6) Stronger Partnerships
- As we enter a new era for SDOT’s Freight Program, we remain dedicated to delivering timely customer service, addressing community needs, and fostering collaboration in problem-solving and project development.
“Freight means anyone who drives for work, including service providers and those moving goods. As the Freight Program grows, we plan to work to support the needs of the freight industry employee while they are in transit.” – Erin Harris, SDOT Senior Transportation Planner
“SDOT’s work around railroads focuses on enhancing railroad crossing safety and protecting people biking, walking, rolling, and driving at these locations. The new Levy will allow our rail program to expand and include more frequent and regular inspections, maintenance, and installation of railroad grade crossing safety signs, street markings, and non-motorized facilities. We’ll also be more responsive to state and federal compliance requirements. This positions SDOT to harness our existing railroad and freight industry partnerships and pursue more funding opportunities. We’ll continue to educate the public on safe travel around railroad tracks, be more responsive to emerging needs at railroad crossings like potholes and loose panels, and plan for removing old, unused tracks in the public right-of-way.”– Treysea Tate, SDOT Associate Civil Engineer
Looking to the future
We want to recognize the incredible work and contributions of everyone in the freight sector. From small business owners operating their own trucks, to skilled workers at the Port, to e-cargo bike couriers, it takes everyone’s focus to get goods where they need to go – and do so safely.
We hope you found this blog post informative and that you’re as excited as we are to deliver a modern, world-class freight program in Seattle for many years to come.
We encourage you to continue to visit our Freight Program website as this important work continues to ramp up. Thank you.