September 14, 2000

Councilmember Richard J. McIver, Chair
Councilmember Dave Earling, Vice Chair

Councilmember Richard McIver chaired the meeting held in the Puget Sound Regional Council's Fifth Floor Boardroom beginning at 9:30 a.m. Actions and other agenda items included the following.

Approve Two Metropolitan Transportation Program (MTP) Projects – I-5 HOV Lanes and SR-16/Second Tacoma Narrows Bridge Projects – from Candidate to Approved Status

Following considerable discussion by members of the Board, the two MTP Projects were approved to be moved from Candidate to Approved status. The SR-16 HOV Corridor and Bridge Project in Pierce County (from I-5 Interchange to the vicinity of SR-302 in Purdy), includes new HOV lanes and a second Narrows Bridge. The corridor project was designated as a Candidate project in the adopted 1995 MTP. The project proposes freeway HOV expansion in both directions as part of the state's core HOV improvement program Since adoption of the MTP in 1995, the WSDOT successfully completed a major environmental study for this regional corridor in Pierce County. Staff has reviewed and discussed with WSDOT the environmental documentation on this corridor project and has concluded that it is consistent with the MTP, subject to specific conditions, and that its project status should be changed from Candidate to Approved in the MTP. Due to concerns raised by Pierce and Kitsap counties regarding growth management and safety impacts in rural areas, a couple of specific conditions are recommended to be included with the approval of the SR-16 HOV Corridor and Bridge Project. There were a significant number of comments submitted in written and oral testimony that were reviewed by staff and the Policy Board. After discussion on the project and review of staff responses which clarified the Regional Council's responsibility and authority on this issue, the recommended action was approved by the Transportation Policy Board.

Approval of the 2001-2004 Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP)

Following a formal public comment period, from August 10 through September 14, the 2001-2004 draft Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) was recommended for Executive Board approval by the Transportation Policy Board. During the public comment period twenty comments were received via email, fax and regular mail The Regional Council's authority is to assure that the final draft TIP meets all state and federal (TEA-21) requirements for consistency with the adopted MTP and is found to be in conformity with the requirements of the Clean Air Act Amendments. Guidelines for authorization of staff to administer the Regional Council's TEA-21 programming responsibilities are included in the action. These requirements are met satisfactorily. The Transportation Policy Board recommended Executive Board approval at their September 28, 2000, meeting.

Discussion of 2001 MTP Update and Upcoming Work Sessions to review the Alternatives

King Cushman presented a tentative schedule that laid out the events that must take place between the current meeting and March 15, 2001, including three work sessions, to give adequate time and attention for a thoughtful approach in developing the preferred alternative for the 2001 MTP Update. Included with the agenda was a decision framework paper, created by Ralph Cipriani, for this development process. The questions asked within this framework will lead to an answer that will be the preferred strategy.

MTP Citizen Outreach Campaign Update

Rick Olson, Communications Manager, introduced Wally Toner and Rose Bird, of APCO Worldwide, a public relations firm contracted by the Regional Council to assist with the public education/involvement/ engagement efforts requested by members of the board. Wally Toner explained the efforts that have taken place and those scheduled during the fall and winter which include several public meetings to be held throughout the region, brown bag lunch briefings, direct mail outreach, countywide meeting involvement along with op-eds and paid advertisements. Letters to the Editor and op-eds are already being submitted, with a letter from Councilmember McIver (which was included in the information items on the agenda) already receiving positive feedback. Flyers that are being mailed this week include a survey and request for comments that can be returned to PSRC immediately. A project with KING and KIRO TV is being planned at this time and promises to show the public how good transportation planning implementation could make the region look. Already developed is a way to talk about the MTP process that focuses on positive, possible changes. A big part of this effort is to include individual citizens and to help them understand how their choices impact travel in the region. A goal is to add a personal responsibility awareness for each individual leading to more thoughtful travel choices. Board members praised both staff and APCO for the work done and being planned. These efforts have given the MTP a new title: "Destination 2030."

For more information on this item, please contact Rick Olson at (206) 587-5060 or e-mail rolson@psrc.org.

Next Policy Board Meeting

The next regular meeting of the Transportation Policy Board will be held on Thursday, October 12, 2000.