Puget Sound Regional Council                                   psrc.org
  Regional Coordination     at work
  Transportation Policy Board and Growth Management Policy Board
 
              May 10, 2007

The Transportation Policy Board recommended approval for $33.2 million in additional PSRC federal funds for projects eligible for CMAQ and FTA funds.

Additional PSRC federal funds totaling $33.2 million have become available as the result of higher than estimated annual 2006 and 2007 allocations of Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality funds (CMAQ) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funds as well as funds recovered through PSRC's project tracking system. The additional projects recommended to receive the funding are King County's Bus Rapid Transit implementation, Intelligent Transportation Systems projects in King County, Auburn and Bothell, King County acquisition of articulated buses, Pierce Transit Vanpool vehicle replacement, and several more. Complete details are available online at psrc.org. Final decision on additional funding will be made by the Executive Board on May 24, 2007.

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

The Transportation Policy Board recommended a finding that the Sound Transit Phase 2 (ST2) program of projects conforms with Destination 2030.

The draft ST2 package totals $10.9 billion (in 2006 dollars), includes light rail extensions to Lynnwood, Bellevue/Overlake, and Tacoma, enhancements to current stations and parking availability, and more frequent commuter rail service. PSRC's conformity review process is required by state law, and evaluates whether the regional transit system plan is consistent with regional plan policies, including policies aimed at all major transportation investments in the region. The Executive Board will take action on this at its May 24 meeting.

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

In other business, the Transportation Policy Board:

  • Recommended approval of a routine amendment to the Transportation Improvement Program, updating information for seven projects in Kitsap County, five Washington State Department of Transportation projects, and one Federal Highways Administration project in Pierce County.
  • Recommended certification of the 2004 Comprehensive Plan for the Town of Darrington and the 2006 Comprehensive Plan Update for the City of Tacoma.
  • Approved the membership and voting structure of the Special Needs Transportation Committee.

    The Growth Management Policy Board reviewed the Public Participation Plan for phase three of the VISION 2020 Update.

    Public participation in the final phase of the VISION 2020 Update will build on previous outreach efforts and focus on gathering and working with public comment to edit and prepare the final documents for adoption. Staff are giving as many presentations as possible, hosting a public meeting to showcase the supplemental draft environmental impact statement and draft Vision document, and providing open houses in each county. Staff will also work closely with the other boards. A board coordination meeting will be held in July.

    For more information, contact Robin McClelland at 206-389-2879 or rmcclelland@psrc.org.

    The Growth Management Policy Board continued to review the draft actions for the VISION 2020 update.

    The actions describe how the proposed multicounty planning policies for the VISION update will be implemented. The draft actions, multicounty planning policies and the preferred growth strategy will be included in a VISION document scheduled for public review this summer. The board's discussion focused on products and results for the draft actions.

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

    The Growth Management Policy Board discussed the draft regional monitoring and measures program to be included in the VISION 2020 update.

    The objective of the draft monitoring program is to track plan implementation and results involving a few important indicators to give a broad understanding of whether the VISION is being accomplished.

    For more information, contact Ben Bakkenta at 206-464-5370 or bbakkenta@psrc.org.

    In other business, the Growth Management Policy Board:

  • Recommended certification of the 2004 Comprehensive Plan for the Town of Darrington and the 2006 Comprehensive Plan Update for the City of Tacoma.
  • Discussed the outline of the draft VISION 2020 update document and the identity of the new vision.
  • Discussed potentially renaming the regional geographies in the VISION 2020 Update.