Following up on direction from the Policy Board's February 10 meeting, staff and the Regional Project Evaluation Committee presented two lists of transportation projects for Policy Board review and consideration. After a good deal of discussion and clarification regarding the process for developing these project lists, the Policy Board recommended approval to the Executive Board of both sets of projects for a total of $40 million.
The first list, totaling $20 million, includes four bus replacement projects and a ferry vessel preservation project to enable the region's transit agencies to substitute federal funding for previously committed local funding. This frees up local transit capital dollars and allows shifting funds to operations, thus reducing the magnitude of service reductions the transit agencies must undertake due to the loss of MVET funding (Initiative 695.)
| Transit Bus Capital | $ millions |
| Community Transit (bus replacement) | $1.9 |
| King County DOT (bus replacement) | $12.9 |
| Kitsap Transit (bus replacement) | $1.3 |
| Pierce Transit (bus replacement) | $2.3 |
| WA State Ferries (vessel preservation) | $1.6 |
| Subtotal - Transit Bus Capital for Reallocation | $20.0 |
The second recommended list of 10 other modal projects also equals $20 million. These projects were drawn from among other critically important regional projects originally ready to go in fall 1999 but which lost partnership funding support due to Initiative 695.
| Other Modal Projects | $ millions |
| King County | |
| Renton - Downtown Transit Access | $1.1 |
| Bellevue - Transportation Center | $2.1 |
| WSDOT I-90/Sunset Interchange | $4.0 |
| Des Moines - Des Moines Creek Trail | $2.0 |
| Kitsap County | |
| Bremerton Transportation Center | $3.0 |
| Pierce County | |
| Snohomish County | |
| Snohomish County: 35th Ave.- Rd Improvement | $1.5 |
| FAST Corridor (split among 3 projects) | $5.0 |
| |
| |
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| Subtotal - Other Modal Projects for Reallocation | $20.0 |
| TOTAL | $40.0 |
After approving the above lists of projects to go to the Executive Board, the Policy Board asked staff to report back next month with information regarding the balance of other proposed projects that did not make these lists and how they were evaluated. The Board also directed staff and RPEC to report at the June Policy Board meeting on the results of the survey being done to contact all TIP project sponsors to determine if Initiative 695 or the Endangered Species Act may have made their projects "unfeasible" to retain in the TIP. This June report is also to suggest policy options for how to rebalance the TIP without harming the viable but delayed projects.
Project Selection Process and Procedures
Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) staff sent their regrets to the Policy Board that they couldn't be at the Policy Board meeting to brief the Board on TIB's project selection process for "enhancement" projects due to legislative issues in Olympia. As a result, TIP Program Manager Karen Richter provided an overview on the TIB process and schedule for selecting Statewide Transportation Enhancements Projects. Nancy Keith, Chair of the Regional Council's Transportation Enhancements Committee (TEC), explained how their citizens' committee reviews and recommends enhancement projects to the Policy Board. She also described the public confusion created by the TIB's 25 percent set-aside for "statewide" enhancement projects. Ms. Keith offered a draft letter prepared by the TEC and asked that Policy Board Chair McIver sign and send this letter to the Transportation Improvement Board. The letter suggested either eliminating the statewide competition portion of their program (placing the 25 percent amount proportionally into each region's allocation), or suggesting that TIB focus these 25 percent funds only on projects that are truly statewide nature (i.e., crossing MPO/RTPO boundaries). Chair McIver asked if there were any objections from Board members to sending such letter and hearing none, agreed to sign and send it.
Ms. Richter then explained how the Regional Council's Policy Framework document (approved by the Policy Board in January 1999) was used to conduct the past year's regional and countywide project evaluation and selection process. Mr. Loren Sand, RPEC Chair, then explained that RPEC is currently reviewing several options for how to refine and better focus the TIP project selection process for the next round of projects in 2001.
For more information on the above subjects, please contact Karen Richter at (206) 464-6343 or krichter@psrc.org.
HB 1487 "Level of Service" Requirements
Kevin Murphy, Regional System Data Program Manager, gave a briefing on the key issues of local, regional and state significance that are contained in HB 1487 (Level of Service bill) passed in the 1998 legislative session. He stressed that all cities and counties are required to amend the transportation element of their Comprehensive Plans by December 31, 2000, to incorporate an inventory of state transportation facilities in their jurisdictions and assess how their planned development might impact these facilities. It was noted that highways designated as being of statewide significance are exempt from local concurrency requirements. Mr. Murphy further noted that this law established nine categories of facilities and services of statewide significance which must be given high priority by the State Transportation Commission. He concluded his briefing by explaining that the Regional Council is now required to monitor regional transportation system performance and use that information to identify system deficiencies and recommend solutions for priority funding.
For more information please contact Kevin Murphy at (206) 464-6411 or kmurphy@psrc.org
Puget Sound Regional Vanpool Marketing Study
Mr. John Shadoff, TDM Project Coordinator at WSDOT's Office of Urban Mobility, provided an interesting overview of the Executive Summary Ñ Puget Sound Regional Vanpool Market Study. His report involved an examination of six central Puget Sound counties and shows a very significant untapped market for this highly efficient and effective transportation service. A copy of his presentation and the Executive Summary are available by contacting the Regional Council's Information Center at (206) 464-7532, infoctr@psrc.org.
For more information please contact Lindy Johnson at (206) 464-6297 or ljohnson@psrc.org.