SEATTLE— The Puget Sound Regional Council is encouraging public comment on the Draft 2003-2005 Regional Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The Draft 2003-2005 TIP is comprised of 111 roadway, transit and multimodal transportation projects within King, Pierce, Snohomish and Kitsap counties.
The full project list is available online at psrc.org. Many of the projects have been rendered in an interactive map, enabling visitors to the Web site to view transportation projects in proximity to their neighborhood or individual commute. To request a copy of the Draft TIP, call the Regional Council Information Center at (206) 464-7532 or e-mail infoctr@psrc.org. The formal comment period extends from September 12 to October 10, 2002.
To comment on the Draft 2003-2005 Regional TIP:
Write: Puget Sound Regional Council,
1011 Western Avenue, Suite 500,
Seattle, WA 98104
Attention: Meghan Foley
FAX: (206) 587-4825
TDD/TTY: (206) 464-5409
e-mail: mfoley@psrc.org
On the Web: www.psrc.org/projects/tip/commentform.htm
Projects in the draft TIP include those selected for funding through the Regional Council. The Regional Project Competition is the process by which the Regional Council distributed $37 million of federal funds to transportation projects that support and connect urban and manufacturing industrial centers . These six projects are SR 304 in Bremerton - a multimodal roadway development project, SR 99 Pacific Highway South in King County - a multimodal roadway development project, Sounder Commuter Rail from Seattle to Everett -a high capacity transit project, the King County Urban centers Project - provides transportation system and demand management in 11 urban centers , Lincoln Avenue Overpass - a freight mobility project for the Port of Tacoma Manufacturing/Industrial Center, and SR 704 Cross Base Highway in Pierce County - completing a missing link in the road network in southern Pierce County. Funding provided through the Regional Council will complete major phases of all six projects.
The Draft TIP also includes 61 projects funded through the Regional Council's countywide project selection process for a combined total of $26 million of Federal TEA-21 Funds. Projects were selected by countywide technical and policy committees from King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish counties to support and connect urban and manufacturing industrial areas. Ten percent of the projects funded through the countywide organizations was allocated to bicycle and pedestrian projects.
The program of projects funded by the Federal Transit Administration is also included in the TIP for the region's transit agencies, which include Sound Transit, Community Transit, Everett Transit, Kitsap Transit, Metro King County Transit, Pierce Transit, Seattle Monorail and Washington State Ferries. Twenty-one projects were selected for this funding, totaling $103.5 million.
The remaining 23 projects in the Draft 2003-2005 Regional TIP are funded with other federal sources, state or local funds.
The Draft 2003-2005 Regional TIP has undergone computer modeling to ensure that federal and state air quality requirements have been met. All of the projects are included in or are consistent with Destination 2030, the region's long-range transportation plan.
All of the public comments will be provided to the Transportation Policy Board, which is scheduled to meet on October 10, 2002 and take action on a recommendation to the Executive Board. The Executive Board is scheduled to meet on October 24, 2002 to take final action on the Draft 2003-2005 Regional TIP.
The Regional Council 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 receives about $100 million in federal transportation funds each year and coordinates, sets priorities, and evaluates the most efficient ways to target those funds to support state and local transportation and growth management plans.