SEATTLE— The Transportation Policy Board, at its September 9 meeting, plans to release for public comment the 119 transportation projects recommended to receive Puget Sound Regional Council funding and an additional number of projects that are receiving funds from other sources. Over $213 million has been recommended to fund King County projects.

For the Seattle area, funding for the South Spokane Street viaduct would build a second parallel structure to help mitigate congestion while the existing structure is widened and safety features are enhanced. Funding for the South Lake Union Streetcar would help plan and engineer the 2.6 mile line. Funding for 35th Ave NE corridor will revitalize three streets, adding transit signal priority, pedestrian enhancements, and other safety improvements.

For the Eastside, two key components of the early implementation of 2-way transit and HOV lanes on I-90 will be accomplished with the funding, providing a bicycle screen and necessary safety improvements. Funding for the Totem Lake Transit Hub will be used to construct HOV direct access ramps. The urban overlay project in downtown Bellevue will resurface the area’s five main arterials.

For South County, funding for Pacific Highway S/International Boulevard would widen stretches of the road and provide enhanced transit, pedestrian and safety features. Funding for the Airport Link would go towards planning, engineering, and final design as well as some right-of-way purchase. Funding for the Federal Way Transit Center would construct HOV direct access ramps.

King County projects include:
Duwamish Trail Link at Port of Seattle, $400,000
SR 518 Improvements at Port of Seattle, $498,963
35th Ave NE, and NE 65th and 75th Streets Corridor Improvements in Seattle, $3,954,000
Arterial Asphalt and Concrete in Seattle, $2,327,585
Burke Gilman Trail Extension in Seattle, $680,000
Phinney/Fremont/N. 50th St. in Seattle, $652,000
South Lake Union Streetcar in Seattle, $4,069,048
South Spokane Viaduct in Seattle, $6,680,457
Westlake Multimodal Transportation Hub in Seattle, $831,179
Aurora Ave. N. (N. 180th – N. 205th) in Shoreline, $525,361
Interurban Trail Crossings in Shoreline, $412,000
NE 2nd Street Roadway Enhancement in Bellevue, $304,166
Urban Overlay Project on 5 downtown streets in Bellevue, $1,397,095
88th Ave. NE Resurfacing in Bothell, $253,756
North Creek Trail (NE 195th to North Creek Business Park) in Bothell, $436,000
SR 203/Main St.(NE Valley St. – Cherry Val) in Duvall, $45,505
229th Ave./E. Lake Sammamish Signal Bypass in Issaquah, $208,995
Sunset 1-90 Connector in Issaquah, $950,000
Issaquah Highlands Park & Ride for King County Metro, $498,963
SR 522 Multimodal Corridor Project Phase 1 in Kenmore, $192,799
Woodinville-Duvall Rd. at 212th NE in King County, $1,277,317
116th Ave NE Non-motorized in Kirkland, $275,000
NE 128th St/ I-405 Overpass in Kirkland, $613,640
Island Crest Way (I-90 – SE 40th St.) on Mercer Island, $262,889
Coal Creek Parkway Phase 3 (SE 91st- SE 95th) in Newcastle, $638,672
East Lake Sammamish Parkway Improvements in Redmond, $702,061
King County Smart Growth Initiative in Redmond, $300,000
Totem Lake Transit Hub for Sound Transit, $4,009,845
SR 202 – Bottleneck Relief Project Phase 3 in Woodinville, $154,610
Early I-90 2-Way Transit/HOV for WSDOT, Bellevue, and Sound Transit, $1,431,527
Auburn Urban Center Transportation Management Improvements, $554,243
Auburn/Pacific Trail, $342,000
King County Smart Growth Initiative in Auburn, $859,500
4th Ave. SW Transit Corridor Project in Burien, $337,444
Ambaum Blvd Extension in Burien, $600,000
SR 516 Improvements (Wax Rd. – Jenkins Cr.) in Covington, $137,280
16th Ave. S. (S. 272nd – S. 280th St.) in Des Moines, $244,492
Porter Street & McHugh Ave Intersect Improvements in Enumclaw, $192,399
Pacific Hwy S/Int’l Blvd Redevelopment in Federal Way, $4,138,925
East Valley Hwy Improvements (SR 167-S. 212th St) in Kent, $874,183
King County Smart Growth Initiative in Kent, $629,720
Pacific Hwy S/Int’l Blvd Redevelopment in Kent, $674,726
1st Ave. S. (SR 509) Enhancement Phase II in Normandy Park, $79,332
West Valley Highway Corridor Improvements in Pacific, $614,740
SR 169 Improvements At I-405 in Renton, $765,993
WSDOT SR 169 Corridor Study in Renton, $163,682
Des Moines Creek Trail in SeaTac, $275,000
Airport Link: Light Rail to SeaTac Airport & S 200th for Sound Transit, $14,250,000
Federal Way Transit Hub for Sound Transit, $15,788,723
Pacific Hwy S/Int’l Blvd Redevelopment in Tukwila, $2,995,020

The Regional Project Evaluation Committee, the Seattle-Tacoma-Everett Federal Transit Administration Caucus, the Transportation Operators Committee, and four county level transportation forums recommended the projects via competitive processes. Total funding for the 119 projects is $325.5 million. All of these projects are part of the draft 2005-07 Regional Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and have been modeled for air quality conformity. Together, the projects have met federal and state requirements for the region.

A complete list of the projects is available online at psrc.org/projects/tip. Many of the projects can also be viewed geographically in the TIP’s web based map.

HOW TO MAKE A COMMENT:
http://www.psrc.org/projects/tip/commentform.htm,
Attn Karen Richter,
1011 Western Ave Ste 500,
Seattle, WA 98104,
(206) 464-6343,
krichter@psrc.org

Written comments will be accepted until October 7 and included in the agenda packet for the Transportation Policy Board meeting on October 14, when it finalizes its recommendation to the Executive Board. Comments can be made in person at the Transportation Policy Board meeting, as well as the Executive Board meeting on October 28, when the draft TIP is scheduled for final approval.

PSRC develops policies and coordinates decisions about regional growth and transportation planning in King, Pierce, Snohomish and Kitsap counties. The Council is composed of over 80 county, city, port, transit, tribal and state agencies serving the region. It distributes about $160 million in federal transportation funds each year. PSRC sets priorities and evaluates the most efficient ways to target those funds to support state and local transportation and growth management plans.