The region’s elected leadership voted unanimously to move forward with the update to the region’s long range transportation plan by selecting plan alternatives for analysis and public review. Five alternatives and a baseline that shows existing funded plans and projects were developed to frame the discussions regional leaders, community members, business, and environmental groups will be having through 2009. A hybrid alternative is likely to result as the preferred choice for Transportation 2040.

Transportation 2040 is taking a fresh approach to meeting the mobility needs of a growing region while sustaining the environment and supporting the regional economy. The region has made a huge amount of progress towards improving transportation in the last ten years. The new plan will move beyond past debates and employ 21st century technology to deliver a strategy to take us into the future.

Each alternative under consideration includes a strategy to identify sufficient and sustainable funding sources to help keep pace with the region’s needs, but each takes a different approach to making transportation investments. The approaches range from making modest improvements with limited funds to shifting regional priorities in a way that would result in a new type of transportation system. In every case, to both pay for improvements and to manage congestion, tolling plays a part.

Check out complete descriptions and maps of each alternative on the web at psrc.org.

Background

The update began with a scoping process in November 2007, which gathered public comments on what to include in the draft alternatives. The Scoping Report summarizes over 1,000 public comments and concludes that the alternatives must consider three key concerns: congestion and mobility, impact on the environment (specifically climate change), and how to collect and sustain transportation funding.

During 2008, PSRC engaged multiple groups and technical experts, partner agencies, high level regional staff, and elected officials in the development of draft plan alternatives.

What’s Next?

The vote to move forward signaled PSRC staff to begin testing the alternatives using the best innovations in technical tools to determine what combination of pro-grams, projects and funding mechanisms will make the most of transportation investments. The alternatives will also be evaluated by a policy framework to assure consistency with VISION 2040, the Regional Economic Strategy and federal and state requirements. The alternatives are also undergoing an environmental impact assessment.

In late spring, PSRC plans to release the Transportation 2040 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for public review and comment. The DEIS will report the results of the technical and policy analyses and the potential impacts on both the natural and built environments.

How to Get Involved

• Visit psrc.org to review the alternatives and make comments online.

• Schedule a Transportation 2040 presentation for your next community group or council meeting, call Marina King at 206-389-2878 to arrange it.

• Attend any of PSRC’s board or committee meetings — each opens with a public comment period.