The Transportation and Growth Management Policy Boards have identified regional interest in preserving the 40-mile Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) rail corridor that connects Renton to Snohomish and recommend moving forward with a detailed study of the corridor.

Policy Board member's endorsed the unanimous recommendations of an 18 member Ad Hoc Committee representing each of the communities along the line as well as transit agencies and the Washington State Department of Transportation. The chair polled the members to provide a sense of the Boards' position to the PSRC Executive Board for consideration at their June 24 meeting and the result was 14-5 in favor of the recommendations. If the Executive Board approves the recommendations, $660,000 in regionally managed federal funds available via the PSRC will be sought to fund the detailed technical study.

For more information, contact King Cushman at (206) 464-6174 or kcushman@psrc.org.

The report lays out the work program that the PSRC will take to update VISION 2020. It describes alternatives and issues that will be analyzed in the environmental review and summarizes the over 1,200 comments that were received during the scoping period. The report also includes information about assumptions on which the analysis will be based as well as further opportunities for public involvement. The Executive Board will review the recommendation at their June 24 meeting.

For more information, contact Ben Bakkenta at (206) 464-5372 or bbakkenta@psrc.org.

The City of Covington's amendments include the standardization of street functional classifications, revised concurrency provisions, and a few other minor modifications. The City of Kirkland's amendments reflect the new North Rose Hill Neighborhood Plan, which supports innovative housing types, a mixed-use business district, a reconnected street network and support for trails.

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

In other business:

• The Transportation Policy Board recommended approval of a routine amendment to the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) adding the design funding for the First Hill Park and Ride, sponsored by the King County Department of Transportation, and construction funding for Signal and ITS Improvements on SR-2: 179th Ave SE to Woods Creek Bridge, sponsored by the Washington State Department of Transportation.
• The Transportation and Growth Management Policy Boards requested that the PSRC staff work with the Regional Transportation Improvement District staff to coordinate outreach on transportation needs within the region.