Puget Sound Regional Council                                   psrc.org
  Regional Coordination     at work
  Transportation Policy Board and Growth Management Policy Board
 
              July 12, 2007

The Transportation Policy Board recommended approval of projects to receive PSRC's Jobs Access Reverse Commute and New Freedom funds.

The recommended program of 17 special needs transportation projects would receive $2.5 million in Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funding. These projects are designed to provide transportation service, create or maintain an infrastructure for coordinated planning, or provide training and educational resources for individuals with special transportation needs. A complete list of the 17 projects and detailed project descriptions are available online at http://www.psrc.org/boards/advisory/specialneeds/specneeds.htm. The Executive Board will take final action on these recommendations at its July 26 Meeting.

For more information, contact Benjamin Brackett at bbrackett@psrc.org or 206-389-2162.


The Transportation Policy Board recommended funding approval for six projects via the 2007 funding for the Rural Town Centers and Corridors program.

PSRC issued a call for projects for funding available through the Rural Town Centers and Corridors program. After technical evaluation and scoring, six projects emerged as the most effective use of this funding. The projects are City of Carnation's SR 203/Tolt Avenue Redevelopment Plan, City of Duvall's SR 203/Main Street Reconstruction, Kitsap County's Miller Bay Corridor Suquamish Safe Route to School Construction, City of Buckley's Sr 165 and Ryan Road Realignment Project, City of Eatonville's SR 161: Lynch Street to Mashell River, and City of Sultan's Phase III Realignment of Sultan Basin Road with US 2. The Executive Board will take final action on these recommendations at its July 26 Meeting.

For more information, contact Karen Richter at 206-464-6343 or krichter@psrc.org.


The Transportation Policy Board recommended submittal of three transportation enhancements projects to the Washington State Department of Transportation and recommended approval of distributing funds from cancelled enhancements projects to nine additional projects.

The three priority projects that would be submitted to WSDOT for enhancements funding are the last link of the Issaquah Regional Trail System, multimodal improvements on Pacific Highway - Gravelly Lake Road to Bridgeport Way in Lakewood, and Safe Wildlife and Community Mobility through Novelty Hill Transportation Improvement Project. The nine projects recommended for redistributed enhancement funds are the Suquamish Tribe's archeological sensitivity model for Kitsap County, the extension of the Mosquito Fleet Trail in Kitsap County at Miller Bay Road, the extension of the Centennial Trail in Snohomish, nonmotorized transportation improvements on West Marine View Drive in Everett, historic rehabilitation of the Spanish Steps in Tacoma, Cultural Resource Protection phase two in King County, the High Point to Preston Trail on I-90, phase two of Lynnwood's Heritage Park, and enhancements to SR 99 in Edmond's International District.

For more information, contact Karen Richter at 206-464-6343 or krichter@psrc.org.


In other business, the Transportation Policy Board:

  • Enjoyed a presentation on regional growth and transportation patterns in preparation for the 2010 Update to Destination 2030. View the presentation online at: http://www.psrc.org/d2030growthandtransportation.pdf
  • Recommended approval of a routine amendment to the Regional TIP updating information for one King County project, one Kitsap Transit project, two Pierce Transit projects, one University Place project and four WSDOT projects.
  • Recommended certification of Comprehensive Plan Updates for Bothell, Enumclaw, Granite Falls, and Tukwila.
  • Recommended approval of a minor amendment to Destination 2030, refining the existing candidate project SR 704 Cross Base Highway.
  • Recommended authorization of changing the project status for SR 704 Cross Base Highway from Spanaway Loop Road to SR 7 and North Creek Trail from 240th St SE to 228th St SE to approved.
  • Received a quarterly summary of administrative corrections to the regional TIP.


    The Growth Management Policy Board recommended designating Redmond Overlake as a Regional Growth Center.

    The board acted on the request from the City of Redmond for a Regional Growth Center Designation for the Overlake area with a recommendation to the Executive Board to move forward with the designation. The area is currently designated as a Manufacturing/Industrial Center, but the city envisions the area for housing, retail and office based employment growth. The Executive Board will take final action at its July 26 meeting.

    For more information, contact Yorik Stevens-Wajda at (206) 389-2158 or ystevens@psrc.org.


    The Growth Management Policy Board was briefed on the results of the 2006 central Puget Sound household travel survey.

    PSRC partnered with the Washington State Department of Urban Mobility to collect region-wide daily activity and travel information from more than 4,700 households. The data collected will be used extensively in the recalibration of PSRC's existing travel demand models, support research into future model improvements and to help develop strategies for future transportation improvements in the region.

    For more information, contact Neil Kilgren at 206-464-7964 or nkilgren@psrc.org.


    In other business, the Growth Management Policy Board:

  • Recommended certification of Comprehensive Plan Updates for Bothell, Enumclaw, Granite Falls, and Tukwila.


    Board Coordination Meeting

    The Growth Management Policy Board hosted a coordination meeting with the members of the Transportation, Economic Development District, and Executive boards. The purpose of the coordination meeting was to introduce the other boards to the Draft VISION 2040 and to hear comments and questions.

    Mayor Pro Tem Sue Singer, PSRC President, welcomed the board members to the meeting, and thanked the Growth Management Policy Board for all of its work on the Draft VISION 2040. She noted that PSRC is actively seeking public comment through September 7 on the draft and its Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement. She encouraged board members to involve the communities they represent.

    An overview video featuring Growth Management Policy Board Chair Mike Lonergan, Tacoma City Council, walked members through the draft VISION including the Environmental Framework, the Regional Growth Strategy, and the Multicounty Planning Policies that comprise VISION 2040. He also provided specific ways your community may participate in upcoming PSRC events to discuss and comment on VISION 2040 and on the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

    The Draft VISION 2040 and Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement are available online at psrc.org. For more information, contact Norman Abbott at 206-464-7134, nabbott@psrc.org.