Puget Sound Regional Council                                   psrc.org
  Regional Coordination     at work
  Transportation Policy Board and Growth Management Policy Board
 
              June 14, 2007

The Transportation Policy Board authorized the release of projects recommended to receive PSRC's Jobs Access Reverse Commute and New Freedom funds for public comment.

The recommended program of 17 special needs transportation projects would receive $2 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.

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

The Transportation Policy Board approved the charter and membership for the Regional Traffic Operations Committee.

The Regional Traffic Operations Committee (RTOC) serves as an advisory committee to the Transportation Policy Board. The new advisory committee includes four county membership and focuses on traffic signal coordination, regional traffic operations at the arterial and freeway levels, and Intelligent Transportation Systems.

For more information, contact Robin Mayhew at 206-464-7537 or rmayhew@psrc.org.

The Transportation Policy Board reviewed the schedule for development of the Regional Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Plan.

PSRC is drafting a Regional CTR plan based on the requirements established by the Washington State CTR Efficiency Act, which provides for concentrated CTR efforts in areas of high density and traffic volumes. PSRC is also working with jurisdictions to assist in the development of local CTR plans. The Transportation Policy Board will act on a draft Regional CTR plan at its September meeting.

For more information, contact Lindy Johnson at 206-464-6297 or ljohnson@psrc.org.

The Transportation Policy Board discussed future actions for updating Destination 2030.

The Destination 2030 working group is developing a detailed work program and schedule for updating Destination 2030. The current proposal involves a scoping period to define the focus of the update and limit the range of alternatives that will be analyzed.

For more information, contact Mike Cummings at 206-464-6172 or mcummings@psrc.org.

The Transportation 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 Transportation Policy Board:

  • Reviewed a summary of the 2006 Legislative Study on Multimodal Concurrency.
  • Recommended approval of a routine amendment to the regional TIP, updating information for one King County project, one Kitsap project, two projects in Pierce County and four WSDOT projects.
  • Recommended certification of 2004 Comprehensive Plan Updates for City of Redmond.
  • Recommended authorizing the change in project status from candidate to conditionally approved for early right of way acquisition for three projects on the I-405 corridor.
  • Recommended approval for a minor amendment to Destination 2030 to refine project description for the existing candidate project I-405/NE 8th St. to SR 520 Braided Ramps.

    The Growth Management Policy Board took Action-to-Proceed on the Draft Actions for the VISION 2040 public review period.

    The actions describe how the proposed multicounty planning policies for VISION 2040 will be implemented. The draft actions, multicounty planning policies and the preferred growth strategy will be included in the draft VISION 2040 review document during public comment this summer.

    For more information, contact Rocky Piro at 206-464-6360, rpiro@psrc.org.

    The Growth Management Policy Board discussed the potential designation of Redmond Overlake as a Regional Growth Center.

    The board heard a presentation on the request from the City of Redmond for a Regional Growth Center Designation for the Overlake area. The area is currently designated as a Manufacturing/Industrial Center, but the city envisions the area for housing, retail and office based employment growth.

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

    The Growth Management Policy Board received an update on the Regional Design Strategy.

    PSRC received a grant from the Department of Community, Trade, and Economic Development (CTED) to develop a Regional Design Strategy and design related provisions for the VISION Update. The design team has now developed a working draft of the strategy, which was transmitted to CTED for review and comment earlier this month. This project is scheduled for completion by June 30.

    For more information, contact Rocky Piro at (206) 464-6360 or rpiro@psrc.org or Talia Henze at (206) 389-2161 or thenze@psrc.org.

    In other business, the Growth Management Policy Board:

  • Recommended Certification of 2004 Comprehensive Plan Update for Redmond
  • Previewed the VISION 2040 Special Issue of the Regional VIEW
  • Discussed the process for editing the draft VISION 2040.