Regional Coordination   at work
  Puget Sound Regional Council Executive Board                 psrc.org
 
              May 8, 2008

The Executive Board added a feasibility study for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe eastside rail corridor to PSRC's work program.

The 2008 Legislature passed a bill that requires PSRC to work with Sound Transit on a feasibility study to evaluate the eastside rail corridor for commuter rail. The Legislature provided $100,000 for the study and requires a report back in February 2009. The study will include ridership forecasting, a review of cost estimates and an advisory committee of local jurisdictions along the corridor.

For more information, contact Jennifer Ryan at 206-971-3272 or jryan@psrc.org.

The Executive Board approved the distribution of the remaining FFY2006 Jobs Access Reverse Commute funding.

In July 2007, PSRC distributed nearly all FFY2006 Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) funds to eight project sponsors, however due to a lack of eligible project submittals $28,360 remained. To avoid these funds lapsing, the Special Needs Transportation Committee, and Transportation Policy Board recommended a formula for distributing the remaining funds to the original eight projects.

For more information, contact Mary Pat Lawlor at 206-971-3272 or mlawlor@psrc.org.

In other business, the Executive Board:

  • Authorized a minor amendment to Destination 2030, refining the North Snohomish County Transit Facility Marysville Park and Ride project.
  • Authorized the change in project status for the Destination 2030 project I-405 Corridor: I-5 to SR 169 to conditionally approved.
  • Approved a routine amendment to the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) updating 31 projects from Bothell, Community Transit, King County, Kitsap Transit, Lake Forest Park, Pierce Transit, Sammamish, and the Washington State Department of Transportation.

    The Transportation Policy Board was briefed on the current federal transportation law, SAFETEA-LU, and the status of PSRC's federal funds.

    SAFETEA-LU will expire in 2009, and federal funding for 2009 is anticipated to drop due to anticipated deficits in the Highway Trust Fund, which funds federal transportation programs via the gas tax.

    Potentially reduced federal funding in 2009 will affect PSRC's work program and project sponsors that have been awarded federal transportation funds through PSRC's project selection process. PSRC, with the assistance of the Regional Project Evaluation Committee, is developing an approach to deal with this uncertainty by reserving $2.9 million in available federal STP funds identified though PSRC's project tracking program and through higher than programmed allocations for 2008. In addition to the funds reserved, an additional $31 million of PSRC's STP and CMAQ funds would be allocated to fund projects identified on previously approved prioritized contingency lists. The policy board will take action on this topic in June or July.

    For more information, contact Karen Richter at 206-971-3289, krichter@psrc.org

    The Transportation Policy Board received an overview of the draft options for Sound Transit's ST2 Update and discussed PSRC's conformity review of the program of projects.

    Sound Transit has identified two possible options, in addition to the adopted ST2 plan, to take out for public input. Both options include light rail extensions, enhancements to current stations and parking availability, and more frequent commuter rail service.Both options are accomplished over 12 years, as opposed to the 20 year program contained in the adopted ST2 plan. One option would require a 0.4 percent sales tax increase and provide 18 miles of Link light rail and the other would require a 0.5 percent sales tax increase and provide 23 miles of Link light rail. If Sound Transit goes to the voters, PSRC would be required by state law to make a finding that the proposed plan conforms to the regional transportation plan, Destination 2030.

    PSRC's conformity review process will evaluate whether the regional transit system plan is consistent with regional plan policies, including policies aimed at all major transportation investments in the region.

    For more information, contact Jennifer Ryan at 206-587-5670 or jryan@psrc.org.

    The Transportation Policy Board welcomed Paul Neal of the Joint Transportation Committee (JTC), Reema Griffith of the Washington State Transportation Commission (WSTC), and Ray Deardorf of the Washington State Ferries (WSF) for a briefing on the ferry system.

    The JTC Ferry Financing Study, WSTC's user survey and financing study and WSF's long-range Strategic Plan are all set to be completed by December, in time to provide input to the 2008 Legislature.

    For more information, contact Stephen Kiehl 206-971-3290 or skiehl@psrc.org.

    In other business, the Transportation Policy Board:

  • Was briefed on the status of the plan update by the Destination 2030 Working Group chair, Councilmember Don Gerend.

    The Growth Management Policy Board discussed its planned work and activities through FY 2008-2009.

    Now that VISION 2040 has been adopted by the General Assembly, the policy board is prioritizing work to carry out the regional vision.

    Work program tasks being considered are: an outreach program to member jurisdictions and the public; a climate change action plan; an updated process to review transportation provisions in local plans; investigating funding sources for infrastructure; developing a consistent methodology for counties to set growth targets; and starting work on a regional housing strategy.

    Board members emphasized the importance of infrastructure funding and affordable housing close to jobs as key actions needed to achieve VISION 2040. Due to time constraints, the board agreed to follow up on this topic at the June meeting.

    For more information, contact Norman Abbott at 206-464-7134, nabbott@psrc.org.

    The Growth Management Policy Board was briefed on new forecasting analysis tools that will incorporate the policies adopted in VISION 2040.

    PSRC's new land use forecasting model, UrbanSim, expands the agency's forecasting capabilities significantly. UrbanSim operates at a parcel level, meaning that the model maintains data for every person in every household and for every job on every parcel in the four-county region. The model is able to simulate growth resulting from future-year land use plans and policies.

    This summer UrbanSim will be used to model the Regional Growth Strategy. This analysis will be used to evaluate and consider the impacts of different transportation alternatives being considered as part of the update to Destination 2030, the regional transportation plan.

    For more information, contact Maren Outwater at 206-971-3274, moutwater@psrc.org.