Movement of freight is the circulatory system of our economy. The Puget Sound region is a major North American gateway for trade with Pacific Rim countries, and is the major economic engine for Washington state.

Regional freight mobility is driven by broad national and international trends. These include federal deregulation of the carrier industries, and related international trade trends. New technologies are being used for container shipping for trucks, ships and even planes. Business and manufacturing efficiencies now rely on outsourcing such that final assembly of products depends upon precise and reliable delivery schedules (known as "just in time" delivery).

All of these issues call for improved capacity and predictability of our many public and private transport systems.

Looking at the Transportation Needs of the Economy and Freight

Federal and state planning laws mandate regional transportation planning for both personal and freight mobility. Two closely linked initiatives in the central Puget Sound region are the FAST Corridor and the Regional Freight Mobility Roundtable.

The FAST Corridor. The FAST Corridor partnership is co-sponsored by the Washington State Department of Transportation and the Puget Sound Regional Council. The partnership includes affected cities and counties, ports, and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific railroads. The FAST Corridor is managed through a multi-agency staff team known as the FAST Cast.

As of January 2006 the supportive administrative responsibility for the FAST Corridor is consolidated in the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) and is no longer shared with the WSDOT. The close working relationship between the PSRC and the WSDOT (since 1996) is not affected. WSDOT's FAST Corridor website has been transferred to the Regional Council website. This temporary site is not up to date but is still informative, and it will be updated and revised by the Regional Council in coming months. One major new feature is the addition of a new FAST Corridor brochure, prepared by all members of the FAST Corridor Partnership, April 2006.

The Regional Freight Mobility Roundtable. The Roundtable is a nationally recognized public-private forum to define and recommend actions serving freight mobility needs in and through central Puget Sound.

For more information, contact Sean Ardussi, sardussi@psrc.org, 206-464-7080