Puget Sound Regional Council                                   psrc.org
  Regional Coordination     at work
  Transportation Policy Board and Growth Management Policy Board
 
              October 11, 2007

The Transportation Policy Board recommended six transportation projects be included in the Transportation Improvement Program.

All six projects were previously approved by PSRC in July 2007 as part of a larger list of projects receiving PSRC federal funds; however, these six projects were new to the region and required a public comment and review period before they could be included in the regional Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The TIP details hundreds of planned projects to improve mobility in the region, and verifies that the projects meet federal requirements and are coordinated and consistent with the region's metropolitan long-range transportation plan, Destination 2030.The projects are Carnation's SR 203 Tolt Ave redevelopment plan, Eatonville's SR 161 Rural Town Center and Corridor Program, Kitsap County's Miller Bay Corridor Suquamish Safe Routes to Schools Projects, King County's Avondale Road ITS Project, Everett's SR-99 Evergreen Way BRT Transit Signal Priority Improvements, and Kitsap Transit's Replacement Van Purchase. The funding for the projects comes from three federal sources administered by PSRC: Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality, Federal Transit Administration, and the Rural Town Centers and Corridors Surface Transportation Program.

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

The Transportation Policy Board was briefed on the progress of the Destination 2030 Working Group and invited to attend future working group meetings.

The working group is currently focused on background research for the Destination 2030 update. In October the group will discuss the following topics: how the region can accomplish "Target Zero" and support healthy lifestyles, PSRC's role in transportation security and dealing with emergencies, how to address global warming, clean up of Puget Sound, and planning for an aging infrastructure. The working group meets the second Thursday of each month, after the Transportation Policy Board.

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

The Transportation Policy Board enjoyed a presentation on regional comparisons.

Regional comparisons was the third presentation in the Growth and Transportation series, designed to provide the Board with a snapshot of regional trends and issues as they begin the update of Destination 2030. This briefing compares the central Puget Sound to peer regions and is available at http://www.psrc.org/TPB3draft.pdf.

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

In other business, the Transportation Policy Board:

  • Welcomed Mark Leth of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) for a presentation on the I-5 Reconstruction Before/After Study, which provided insights to changes in travel behavior during the recent closures on I-5.
  • Recommended adoption of a routine amendment to the TIP, updating information for one Kitsap Transit and four WSDOT projects.
  • Recommended certification of Comprehensive Plan amendments for the City of Monroe.
  • Recommended authorizing the change in project status for the Aurora Ave North Multimodal Corridor project from candidate to conditionally approved for early right of way acquisition.

    The Growth Management Policy Board recommended certification of the comprehensive plan for Monroe.

    The board found that the plan meets Growth Management Act requirements and is consistent with Destination 2030, the region's transportation plan

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

    The Growth Management Policy Board heard reports on the public comments received during the formal written comment period for the proposed VISION 2040 growth strategy.

    A broad cross-section of jurisdictions, interest groups and individuals commented on the draft VISION 2040 growth strategy, offering 1,932 discrete comments in 175 submitted letters. The board will develop a response to each comment and, as needed, revise the VISION 2040 documents.

    All of the comments are available online at psrc.org/projects/vision/comments/commentletters.htm.

    On October 25-26, the board's ad hoc committee will meet to address substantive changes and edits to VISION 2040. Representatives from the Transportation Policy Board and the Economic Development District will also attend the meeting. The board members will work with preliminary recommendations developed by the Regional Staff Committee and PSRC staff to incorporate changes and publish a final VISION 2040 and Final Environmental Impact Statement early in 2008.

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