MINUTES OF THE TRANSPORTATION POLICY BOARD
Thursday, March 14, 2002

CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 9:40 a.m. by Commissioner Tim Botkin, Vice Chair.

REPORT OF THE CHAIRS
Commissioner Botkin reported that Councilmember Dave Earling, Chair of the Transportation Policy Board, had recently suffered a mild heart attack, and that reports indicated he was doing well and recovering nicely. He said he hoped Councilmember Earling would be returning soon and asked Board members to keep him in their thoughts.

Commissioner Botkin introduced and welcomed City of Bremerton Councilmember Mike Short, attending as the newly appointed alternate for Councilmember Carol Arends.

COMMUNICATIONS AND CITIZEN COMMENTS
Paul W. Locke expressed concern about how operating costs would be covered for the proposed Seattle monorail.

Philip Grega commented on the importance of parking fees as a transportation demand management (TDM) tool and source of transportation funding revenue.

CONSENT AGENDA

The Transportation Policy Board did not achieve a quorum; therefore, the Consent Agenda was deferred until the next meeting.

BRIEFING ON MAJOR URBAN CORRIDOR PROJECTS:
HWY. 99-ALASKAN WAY VIADUCT, TRANSLAKE, I-405 and SR-509

King Cushman introduced David Dye, Administrator for the Urban Corridors Office of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). Using a PowerPoint presentation, Mr. Dye laid the groundwork for the briefing by first talking about the region's transportation problem. Growth is making it increasingly difficult to move people and goods around in the Puget Sound region, and the demand for transportation far outweighs the supply. There is no single solution - rather, we need the right balance of transportation demand management (TDM), a high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) system, transit services, and integration of land use and transportation, along with addressing environmental issues and the needs of single occupant vehicle travel and freight movement.

Next, Mr. Dye provided background information about the Urban Corridors Office and its projects, and introduced key WSDOT staff who would be briefing the Board: Maureen Sullivan, Project Director (Alaskan Way Viaduct and TransLake); Craig Stone, Project Director (I-405 and SR-509); and Mike Cummings, Environmental & Systems Manager.

Alaskan Way Viaduct (Hwy. 99)

Maureen Sullivan briefed the Board on the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Project. She noted that the earthquake that occurred in February 2001 increased the urgency to find a long-term solution and develop a vision for the project. WSDOT is working with consultants, City of Seattle staff, state staff and environmental agencies to accelerate this project as much as possible. Preliminary engineering and an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) are underway. A preferred plan will be selected by the end of July 2002 and construction will begin in 2005 or 2006, depending on the availability of funding.

Ms. Sullivan talked about the project within a regional context. At the north end, the project has significant potential for better connections to SR-520 and could set the stage for fixing the "Mercer mess." In the south, there is the potential to improve traffic flow so that as SR-509 is developed there will be full linkage in the regional system.

The Viaduct was built in 1953 and is now in critical need of replacement. Designed to carry 65,000 vehicles per day, the Viaduct now carries 110,000. Experts say there is a 1-in-20 chance that in the next 10 years an earthquake could permanently close the Viaduct. Besides damage to the structure itself that could occur in an earthquake, there is a risk that soils could liquefy and the structure may fall. The Seawall, which was constructed in 1934 and holds up the soil that is holding up the Viaduct, is also at risk and needs to be replaced. "In investigating the condition of the Seawall with the City and with our consultant, we've found it is in worse shape that we originally thought." If the Seawall fails, so will the Viaduct.

There is no Band-Aid approach to fixing the Viaduct. In addition to a retrofit/replacement option, which would involve replacing most of the pieces of the Viaduct, four design plans have been identified, all of which focus on three areas: north, central waterfront, and south. Each plan offers different opportunities in each of the three areas, and there is a potential to mix and match some of them. Ms. Sullivan described the opportunities in each area under each plan, and reviewed the four alternatives in terms of their construction (combinations of cut-and-cover tunnels, mined tunnels, and aerial and at-grade structures). Ms. Sullivan noted that on the central waterfront, they are looking at working on the Seawall and the Viaduct at the same time to minimize the impacts of construction.

In response to a question from Fred Glick, Ms. Sullivan confirmed that urban design issues are being considered. Additionally, "we're going through a process of risk analysis and cost development so we'll not only know the range of costs for the various options, we're going to know the benefits and opportunities that each provides and the risk it increases or reduces." She noted that a consensus-building leadership group, chaired by Transportation Secretary Doug MacDonald and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, and comprised of elected officials and interests on the Waterfront, is also looking at the various options and providing input on the project.

Trans-Lake (SR-520)

Ms. Sullivan pointed out that the Trans-Lake project is a complex one, involving the east and west sides of Lake Washington as well as a number of local communities, in a study area that extends from Redmond to the west side of I-5. Critical issues for Trans-Lake are the age of the SR-520 floating bridge and its vulnerability to earthquakes and high winds. There are only about 20 years left on the lifespan of the bridge, and Ms. Sullivan said that in terms of retrofitting and repairs, "we've gone about as far as we can for this facility." Travel demand in the already congested corridor is expected to double by 2020, and old design standards and environmental impacts of the original facility need to be addressed.

Three committees (advisory, technical and executive) are providing input and direction on the project. In January, the committees concluded that three alternatives -- a four-, a six- and an eight-lane facility -- should be further evaluated through an environmental impact statement (EIS). It was further determined that there should be provisions for high capacity transit (HCT) on I-90 and potential for bus rapid transit (BRT) on SR-520 with further potential for HCT in the future. In the next few months, decisions will be made on lid size and location, transportation demand management packages and interchanges.

The three alternatives being reviewed have a number of elements in common. All include improved reliability, safety and environmental protection; bicycle and pedestrian facilities; noise mitigation; improved or replaced seismically deficient approaches to the bridge; added shoulders and improved lane standards; and an aggressive TDM program. The four-lane plan would include replacing the floating portion of the bridge. The six-lane option would also add one shared HOV/BRT lane in each direction, from Seattle to Redmond. The eight-lane option would further include one general purpose lane in each direction. The six- and eight-lane options could reduce travel time across the lake by as much as ten minutes. The project also offers an opportunity to significantly improve the I-5/Mercer weave.

Ms. Sullivan reported that the current timeline calls for the selection of a preferred alternative by the end of 2002, but acknowledged that it could be a challenge to arrive at a determination that soon. Depending on the availability of funding, a Draft EIS will be published in spring 2003, followed by a Final EIS in winter 2003.

I-405

Craig Stone briefed the Board on the I-405 corridor project. The I-405 corridor project is actually a program of approximately 150 individual projects, each of which will take its own path from the 20-year vision to reduce traffic congestion and provide mobility in the I-405 corridor. I-405 is one of the two most congested corridors in the state, and transportation improvements in that corridor will have an important effect on communities, the economy and the environment.

The study area extends from Kent to past Lynnwood. Between 1996 and 2020, the number of daily person trips in the corridor is expected to grow by 56 percent and population is expected to increase by 200,000 -- the equivalent of two more Bellevues - with an accompanying 150,000 more jobs.

The project organization was established in summer 1999. An Executive Committee has been providing policy guidance, and participation in the decision-making process also includes representatives from 35 agencies, 24 concurring organizations, 5 co-lead agencies and 4 legislative representatives, along with citizens and public committees.

The corridor-level EIS is nearly complete and a final EIS will be issued in May. WSDOT is hoping for a final record of decision at the federal level later this year so that project-specific elements can begin to move forward. The estimated cost of the total program, which includes transit, highway and arterial components, is $7.5 billion. With legislative budgets running between $700 million and $2.3 billion for investments in the corridor, WSDOT is looking at how to implement the project.

Mr. Stone described the preferred alternative, selected by the Executive Committee in November 2001, noting that it consists of a number of elements and steps that provide a balanced and integrated approach. The preferred alternative includes an aggressive TDM program, bus rapid transit (BRT) with an expanded transit system, two general purposes lanes in each direction on I-405 and widening of SR-167 in the Renton area, a connected HOV system, and future accommodations for managed lanes.

Councilmember Julia Patterson asked how improvements on I-405 would impact SR-167 and south King County, and how those impacts would be addressed. Mr. Stone said that the I-405 Study Committee recognized there is a major split of traffic flows at the I-405/SR-167 interchange, and recommended adding up to two lanes on SR-167 within the study limits of the project. The state Legislature may approve funding to add up to two lanes to the next interchange (S. 180th) as part of the I-405 project, and has designated $8 million for an SR-167 corridor study that would include the area from Renton to Tacoma.

Councilmember Patterson also noted that state funding does not provide for operating costs associated with the expansion of transit service hours and asked if an analysis has been done as to how much the expansion will cost Sound Transit and Metro. Mr. Stone said, "Within the implementation package, we're looking at funding packages and other possibilities. Sound Transit has the potential for bonding in the Eastside subarea. For King County Metro and Community Transit, there is the question of how they see their service plans growing. The I-405 project is a 20-year vision and most transit plans come in six-year increments, so we need to look at how we move forward with the corridor vision. Phasing is going to be an important component."

Councilmember Richard Conlin asked whether the projections that are currently being used have been updated to reflect the latest state population forecasts, and whether they take into account the slowdown in growth of vehicle miles traveled in the 1990s. Mr. Stone said that the Regional Council's model is being used, and for I-405 "we're going back and using the most current up-to-date information from the Regional Council for the final EIS that reflects those trends."

In response to a question from Councilmember Conlin regarding whether TDM was being considered for freight, Mr. Stone said that although TDM is not specifically being looked at for freight, there are other freight components in the I-405 corridor project and it is also being addressed through the intelligent transportation system (ITS). King Cushman suggested that at a future meeting the Policy Board could have a separate briefing on this subject, as a number of freight operational ITS improvements are being looked at that are in addition to and independent of the corridors.

Councilmember Conlin stated, "Many of the visions that have been put forward by this body and other bodies in the past have suggested that in the long run there would be a high capacity fixed guideway system on I-405. Will the plan, as it has now been developed, accommodate that in the future?" Nothing is being done that would preclude that possibility in the future, although Mr. Stone noted that "there are a lot of facets to that question. What we found is that [at least through the year 2020], a rubber-tire-based system works the best in that area, so we're looking at the HOV system and building up the direct access system. Realizing that speed and reliability are important in the HOV system, we'll probably go to 3-plus [HOV lanes] unless we're able to go to managed lanes. Beyond 2020, there are other decisions to be made based on how the system is growing, how the market is growing, and whether there is a transition to a different technology."

Asked whether tolls on I-405 were assumed as part of the financing plan, Mr. Stone said the financing plan is a work in progress and so far tolls have not been included.

Peter Hurley commented that the Packard Foundation funded two national experts to look at the modeling for I-405. He said they found at least eight significant errors and omissions in the analysis, which artificially increased the projected demand for vehicle capacity in the corridor. Mr. Hurley described several of the errors, and noted that there are "some significant consequences." He said, "I'm encouraged to hear that newer data will be used for the final EIS, although it does seem odd to have made a decision on a final alternative using old data… It is important to update for any future decisions."

There will be a more in-depth discussion of the I-405 corridor project at the Policy Board meeting in April, when the Board will be asked to take action on Regional Council concurrency with the I-405 preferred alternative.

SR-509

Mr. Stone next briefed the Board on the SR-509 corridor project. The current status of the project is that there has been agency concurrence on a preliminary preferred alternative, project design is 20 percent complete, and a project-level Draft EIS is currently undergoing public review through March 25. WSDOT is working with the Department of Ecology and with the cities of SeaTac and Des Moines on the Des Moines Creek Basin Plan and off-site mitigation. WSDOT is also looking at construction staging and property purchases, and said that "if the Legislature gives us funding to move forward we will move immediately into right-of-way acquisition." Securing funding for the project will be a key. "If funding becomes available and we go through a design/build type contract, we could be in construction in the 2004 to 2008 range."

Statewide benefits of the project are that it will improve freight mobility, complete SR-509 which is currently an underutilized public investment, divert traffic from I-5, and provide a direct link between I-5 and Sea-Tac Airport. From a regional perspective, it will connect the Duwamish industrial area and Port of Seattle to the Kent area, connect the northwest's largest manufacturing centers, provide direct HOV connections between the I-5 HOV system and SR-509, and give Sound Transit direct access for its express bus service from Pierce County to Sea-Tac Airport. Local benefits of the project are that it will accommodate future development of the City of SeaTac as an urban center, Des Moines' Pacific Ridge, and Burien's Commercial Center. It will also reduce congestion and air pollution on neighborhood streets, help reduce trip lengths, and provide a bike path extension and fish habitat.

Summary

In concluding the presentation, Mike Cummings talked about how all of the projects fit together and how they will bring together transit, TDM and roadway components. "Now that we're clarifying the visions in these corridors, we need to be able to link them together and make them work as a system, and come up with a program that develops a phasing and funding strategy around these issues." WSDOT is working with King County, Sound Transit, Community Transit and local jurisdictions to identify relevant issues.

Mr. Cummings pointed out, "We have a huge fragile system. As we make improvements we have to make sure that we're dealing with them on a system basis, and that we have an environmental strategy to make things better than they are now. We want to integrate the transportation and environmental investments in these corridors, and channel our investments in the areas where they have the biggest impacts. And, we want to make sure we're supporting the goals of the Growth Management Act. We want to work with our partnering agencies on the environmental strategies, to identify the needs and issues. We want to look for opportunities to deal not only with problems that are created by these new investments, but also deal with the issues where we've created situations in the past that we need to remedy."

SEATTLE MONORAIL PROJECT

Harold Robertson, Executive Director of the Elevated Transportation Company (ETC), provided a PowerPoint briefing on the Seattle Monorail Project.

In November 2000, Seattle voters passed Initiative 53 to have the ETC develop a monorail plan for the city. The initiative directed that the monorail must be elevated and quiet, link Seattle neighborhoods with each other and with downtown Seattle, connect with other transportation systems, and have the potential to be extended in the future. November 2002 is the deadline to develop a plan that will accomplish this. At that time the plan will go to ballot for a vote within the City of Seattle.

"The monorail needs to fit in with and complement what is already going on with the use of the city streets, Metro buses, light rail, commuter rail, major facilities, so we're working very hard to make sure we're integrated with the other transportation systems."

Mr. Robertson described the current status of the project. Various monorail technologies have been evaluated and the decision has been made to use large capacity monorail. Some route and station alternatives have been developed, along with preliminary ridership projections, cost ranges for capital and operating costs; design guidelines, and a draft plan with a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS).

There are five major corridors being considered for monorail. The first-phase corridor is Ballard/Downtown/West Seattle, and that is where the ETC Board is focusing its proposal for the ballot measure in November. Mr. Robertson discussed the route options being considered for each of the three areas. Overall, it is a 14-mile segment with two water crossings, and there will be 16 to 18 stations.

In preparing ridership projections, ETC assumed a four-minute wait time during peak periods and about eight minutes off-peak. Modeling included fares the same as Metro buses. Ridership is projected at 51,000 to 67,000 boardings per day in 2020, with 20-25 percent of them being new transit riders. The total cost of Phase I is currently estimated to be between $1 billion and $1.7 billion. Mr. Robertson noted that ETC is "getting our numbers out as early as we can," adding that "we are having monorail system providers, construction firms, and other firms with related expertise examine the costs and all of the operating requirements we've identified so far to help narrow this range and make sure the costs are good. Then we're going to hire a separate cost estimator to provide a third set of eyes."

Operating costs are estimated at $18-25 million per year. Revenues would come primarily from fares, but advertising could also be a source. First-year revenues are estimated $14-29 million, with revenues reaching $19-37 million in the tenth year.

Mr. Robertson talked about how building the monorail would be paid for. Under current law, the ETC is a Seattle Public Development Authority, and as such, funding options by the city include redirecting existing city funds, raising the B&O tax, establishing tax on commercial parking revenue, or going to the voters with a special property tax levy. Legislation (ESSB 6464) is pending, which would allow Seattle voters to create a city transportation authority as a separate municipal corporation with powers to build and operate a monorail. The bill includes a menu of four taxes.

There has been a lot of public outreach and intergovernmental coordination on this project, as well as working with community, business and professional groups. The Draft EIS will be released April 5, and between April and July the ETC Board will select a proposed route with stations, develop a proposed financing plan, and determine the governance powers. On August 5 ETC will approve a plan to go on the November ballot. If approved by Seattle voters, the plan will proceed to federal environmental work, which in the future will enable others to help pay for future extensions of the monorail. ETC will also then work with the Regional Council to get the monorail project into the regional plan and onto the project list for the next reauthorization of TEA-21.
Councilmember Julia Patterson complimented the ETC on working with Sound Transit to create a system that is complementary with light rail. She suggested there might be a way to coordinate with Sound Transit to cost share, noting that Sound Transit's new project management system might be a helpful resource. As a member of the Sound Transit Board, she extended an invitation to ETC to have further discussions with Sound Transit about the possibility of cost sharing. She also asked if ETC had looked closely at the problems that Sound Transit encountered. Mr. Robertson affirmed that ETC is trying to avoid problems that could cause trouble with costs. "We are working very closely with the City of Seattle's Planning Commission and Design Commission on design guidelines and station development, so that we've got some system continuity, some neighborhood flexibility, and keep the costs under control so that we don't lose it in trying to implement the stations. We also made the judgment call that we would try to get all of our information out as early as we could, even if it's a little ragged, as opposed to holding it and polishing it." In response to a question from Councilmember David Enslow, Mr. Robertson confirmed that ETC has reviewed its cost and ridership figures with Sound Transit.

There was also some discussion about the proximity of monorail to commuter rail in the Ballard area, and whether it was a duplication of service. It was pointed out that they serve different purposes, commuter rail being a regional system while the monorail would be a local system providing in-city access and mobility, that could connect externally. There is also a significant difference in the frequency of service between the two.

Mr. Robertson acknowledged that there is competition in the taxpayers' pocketbook for what they want to pay for what they perceive the benefits would be. He emphasized that the taxes for the monorail project would be strictly inside the City of Seattle and would not be traded off directly with any of the legislation that's pending on the statewide bill or regional bill. Councilmember Patterson pointed out that with all of the various tax packages that are being proposed in the state, plus the monorail project, the people who live in the City of Seattle could experience the greatest tax increase for transportation in the entire state of Washington.

INFORMATION ITEMS

Commissioner Botkin directed attention to two information items in the agenda packet, and reminded Board members about the Regional Council's General Assembly meeting on March 21.

Councilmember Mark Foutch, recently returned from Washington, D.C., reported that Senator Patty Murray, who is in a key position with regard to transportation funding, "practically begged us to get the Legislature not to commit the funding package to a vote of the people, but to pass it, because she is doing her best to hold onto funding [about $100 million] for which there is a great deal of competition." He also noted that the Bush Administration's proposal for TEA-21 reauthorization would cut the amount of funding that the state would receive.

ADJOURN

The meeting was adjourned at 11:37 a.m.