The millions of dollars already pumped into Seattle’s Mercer Street should mean it functions like it’s supposed to.

Carrying about 80,000 vehicles a day at the I-5 interchange, the work on the Mercer corridor is critical to improving traffic flow and lowering congestion. But Doug MacDonald, the former secretary for the Washington State Department of Transportation, says those improvements might be negated by the lack of work done on I-5.

MacDonald told KING 5 that the problem is a lack of communication and vision between various transportation agencies.

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The Mercer Street project is an example of the current communication breakdown, MacDonald says. Even though Mercer Street was widened and traffic re-configured, it still connects to the aging interstate that becomes bogged down on a daily basis.

MacDonald suggests expanding public transportation as the way to cut down on congestion. That includes new routes in neighborhoods that don’t have service. Too bad that would come at a significant cost during a time when Seattle residents are already facing hefty taxes.

Tell us about what’s slowing you down

Seattle homeowners with average property values face about $4,500 in taxes following the Nov. 3 election. That’s an increase of about $400 from last year.