Last month, the Sound Transit Board released a draft plan for Sound Transit 3 that responds to the support we’ve heard for fast, reliable mass transit that provides more options to more destinations. Thousands of residents have weighed in on the draft plan, which includes extending light rail from Bellevue to Issaquah via Eastgate.

Before the month-long public comment period wraps up at 5 p.m. on Monday, May 2, please take a few minutes at soundtransit3.org to check out the draft plan and provide your input. The proposed investments you’ll see would link Issaquah and Sammamish-area residents with destinations across a truly regional light rail stretching 112 miles and serving 35 new areas. The system would be comparable to those in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco.

The recent groundbreaking for building East Link light rail to Mercer Island, Bellevue and Redmond gives an exciting glimpse of the future of transportation in our region: More transit service connecting more neighborhoods to high-capacity light rail that whisks commuters over, under and around some of the worst traffic in the U.S.

ST3 will determine where Eastside residents will be able to ride in the future.

The draft plan’s direct light rail connection to Issaquah will greatly improve on access via local bus routes that Issaquah and Sammamish-area residents will initially have as Sound Transit opens the East Link extension to Mercer Island, Bellevue and Redmond in 2023.

As one of the first projects delivered, the draft plan would establish new bus rapid transit service stretching the length of I-405 and beyond, all the way from Lynnwood to Burien, with faster and more reliable buses running every 10 minutes during rush hours

The plan also proposes bus rapid transit service on SR 522, providing a connection for communities at the north end of Lake Washington to access the regional light rail system as it expands north on I-5.

The draft plan includes extending Link all the way to downtown Redmond. Eastside residents would also gain access to light rail extensions all the way south to Tacoma, north to Everett and west to Seattle’s Ballard and West Seattle neighborhoods.

These investments will help ensure the Eastside is connected with the other economic engines driving our regional growth over the coming decades. As we complete a light-rail spine connecting job centers across our three-county region, our goal is for people to be able to get to their destination on time, every time, regardless of traffic or weather – even as we add a million more people over the next 25 years.

At its peak capacity light rail can carry up to 16,000 people per hour in each direction, compared to up to 2,000 cars per hour in a freeway lane. The Sound Transit Board has proposed these investments because no other option can add the kind of capacity we need as one of the fastest-growing metropolitan regions in the country.

One frequent question we are hearing: How fast can we complete and open new extensions? Our staff is working to identify every possible option to deliver new services as quickly as possible.

As we finalize the plan that will be presented to voters in November, we want to hear your thoughts.

Your feedback will help shape the final draft of the proposed plan, which the board will vote on in June.

In the meantime, we will continue to fine-tune the plan to deliver the best option to voters in November.

Dow Constantine is chair of the Sound Transit Board and King County executive.