Microsoft, Mariners boost regional roads, transit campaignMicrosoft Corp. and the Seattle Mariners (Baseball team)Â have made big contributions to the campaign for a $17.7 billion road and mass transit measure on the November ballot.
The world's largest software maker has given $200,000 to Keep Washington Rolling, while the Mariners have given $75,000. Construction firms and related companies also have made hefty donations to the campaign, which has raised about $690,000 so far, according to state Public Disclosure Commission records.Voters in Pierce, King and Snohomish counties will decide on a plan to spend $6.9 billion on road construction and $10.8 billion on mass transit.The plan would add 50 miles of light rail and help pay for major highway construction projects like expanding Interstate 405 in King County and extending Highway 167 from Puyallup to the Port of Tacoma in Pierce County.Formal opposition campaigns are still organizing, and critics acknowledge they'll have a hard time matching the money supporters have raised."We know this is going to be a close election," said Aaron Toso, a spokesman for Keep Washington Rolling, the campaign supporting the construction plan.A mix of sales and motor vehicle excise taxes would pay for the plan. Supporters say the road and transit work is needed to address traffic congestion that will only get worse as an estimated 1.2 million people move into the region by 2030.Other big contributions have come from the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, PEMCO Mutual Insurance Co. and the Washington Association of Realtors, each of which has donated $50,000.Representatives of Microsoft did not respond to calls for comment about the company's donation.Continue At Source
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