June 8, 2000
Business Meeting of the Transportation Policy BoardPOLICY GUIDANCE FOR REBALANCING THE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (TIP)
The Board recommends amending the current three-year TIP to a four- or five-year TIP extending to either 2004 or 2005, depending upon an assessment in June and July. Programming projects into an extended TIP formally keeps a regional policy priority commitment to all projects, but does require waiting until reauthorization of the federal transportation act before projects moved beyond 2003 (end of current Act) could go forward. The Board also recommended $15.1 million in estimated 2003 regional Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality (CMAQ) funds for reprogramming to fund existing Surface Transportation Program (STP) projects eligible for CMAQ funds.
Staff reported that federal transportation funds to the state of Washington for federal fiscal year 2000 were obligated, which removes the risk of losing any federal funds this year. All projects on the $110 million list PSRC approved in February have obligated. Two projects on the second $40 million list approved in March, the Sunset Interchange and SR 167 Environmental Impact Study (EIS) project, were approved by the deadline and are able to go forward. WSDOT has agreed to absorb three projects from the two lists, Sunset Interchange, SR 167 EIS and SR 519 (Seattle Port Access) for a total roughly $35 million.
For further information on this item, please contact Karen Richter at (206) 464-6343. REVIEW AND ENDORSE WSDOT'S PRELIMINARY APPROACH TO TRAVEL DELAY AND SEVICE OBJECTIVES FOR WASHINGTON'S TRANSPORTATION PLAN (WTP) The Board was briefed on a new highway congestion measurement tool called "ACR" and a set of transportation plan outcome statements and service objectives that the region and State DOT might use to identify solutions to transportation problems. The Board endorsed a test of ACR measurement and endorsed the outcome statements and service objectives to further development of the WTP. For more information about this topic, please contact King Cushman at (206) 464-6174 or Nytasha Walters at WSDOT's Office of Urban Mobility at (206) 464-6161. ADOPTION OF REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION ENHANCEMENTS CRITERIA FOR STATEWIDE TRANSPORTATION ENHANCEMENT PROCESS Nancy Keith, Transportation Enhancements Committee Chair, presented an overview of the statewide transportation enhancement project competitive process. Regional Council staff have been working with the Transportation Enhancements Committee (TEC), representatives from local jurisdictions and regional and state agencies, and historic preservation and other experts to clarify the existing criteria and bring them up to date in time for the 2002/2003 funding cycle. The Board endorsed these revised criteria, with one amendment which proposed modifying evaluation of transportation museums to consider and support for economic growth and tourism. For further information on this topic, please contact Karen Richter at (206) 464-6343.