March 2002

2003-2005 TIP Process Kicks Off ...... Upcoming Workshops to Provide Information on Applying for Funds An estimated $63 million in federal transportation funding is expected to be available for the central Puget Sound region for the years 2004 and 2005. Four public workshops will be sponsored by the Regional Council in March to provide information on how to apply for the funding. The recently adopted 2002 TEA-21 TIP Policy Framework, which targets funding to centers and connecting corridors, will guide the region's project selection process. Recommendations from the regional project competition will be approved and released for public review by the Transportation Policy Board in June 2002. Upon approval, the Regional Council will develop the Draft 2003-2005 TIP. All other regionally significant projects, regardless of funding source, must also be included in the draft TIP at this time. These include projects using federal transit funds and projects sponsored by the state Department of Transportation using state funds and other sources of federal transportation funds. In July, the Regional Council will evaluate the air quality impacts of all projects proposed for inclusion in the draft TIP. Once the air quality analysis is completed, the draft TIP and the air quality analysis will be submitted for formal public review in August. Adoption of the TIP is scheduled to occur in September 2002. For additional information, call Karen Richter at the Regional Council, (206) 464-6343. Information on the Regional TIP is also available at www.psrc.org/projects/tip/index.htm. Key Dates for Development of the 2003-2005 TIP Call for projects -- application mailing ......... March 11 Regional project applications for the regional process due to PSRC ......... April 22 Regional Project Evaluation Committee recommendation of regional projects ......... May 30 Transportation Policy Board approval of regional projects ......... June 13 Final applications on all project recommendations submitted to PSRC ......... June 28 Formal public review ......... August 8 - September 12, 2002 Executive Board scheduled adoption ......... September 26, 2002 State and federal review and approvals ......... October - December 2002 TIP Workshops Kitsap County March 14, 2002 10-11:30am Silverdale Community Center, Orca Room (in "A" Frame, in back of main building) 9729 Silverdale Way NW, Silverdale Pierce County March 21, 2002 10-11:30am Pierce County Annex Building Conf. Room D 2401 South 35th Street, Tacoma King County March 26, 2002 9:30-11am Puget Sound Regional Council 5th Floor Boardroom 1011 Western Avenue, Seattle Snohomish County March 27, 2002 10:30am-12noon Everett Transportation Office Transit Training Room, 2nd Floor 3225 Cedar, Everett Back to top Don't Miss It ...... General Assembly to Feature VISION 2020 Awards, Budget & More Representatives of the Puget Sound Regional Council's more than 80 member governments are invited to the annual General Assembly meeting on March 21 at the Bell Harbor Conference Center. Officials will have a chance to meet their colleagues from around the region and conduct the annual business of the Regional Council, including adopting the 2002-2003 budget and work program and electing a new president and vice president. John Horsley, Executive Director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), will speak to the Assembly on federal transportation issues, including upcoming reauthorization of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). Prior to joining AASHTO, Horsley directed the U.S. Department of Transportation's national outreach program on the implementation of TEA-21, and served as a former Kitsap County commissioner and member of the Regional Council Executive Board. The Assembly dinner program will feature the presentation of the 2002 VISION 2020 Awards, honoring outstanding efforts to promote a more livable central Puget Sound region. To register for the General Assembly, contact Sylvia Nelson at (206) 464-7518, or e-mail snelson@psrc.org. Back to top Regional Briefs Regional Transportation Performance Report Released A new report from the Regional Council tracks congestion and system performance on many of the region's most traveled corridors. The 1999 System Performance Report is the third in a series of reports developed as part of the region's Congestion Management System (CMS). The report shows average weekday conditions during the fall of 1999 on an extensive monitoring network, including the National Highway System, and selected arterials and ferry routes, with data on travel time, travel speed, transit and ferry ridership and more. Printed copies of the report are available from the Regional Council's Information Center, (206) 464-7532. The report is also available on the Web at psrc.org. For more information, contact Stephanie Rossi at (206) 587-5118, e-mail srossi@psrc.org. Back to top Metropolitan Planning Course May 20-22 in Seattle A three-day course on metropolitan transportation planning is being offered by the National Transit Institute May 20-22 in downtown Seattle. The course provides a general introduction and overview of the metropolitan transportation planning process, including basic concepts, products and participants. The course is free to employees of federal, state, and local government and private non-profit transit operators. The fee is $450 for all others, including contractors and consultants. Space is limited to 35, so register early. The course will be held in the Sound Transit Boardroom, 401 S. Jackson Street, Seattle. For more information, call (732) 932-1700, or go to www.ntionline.com/. Back to top New Metropolitan Capacity Building Web Site A new Web site -- www.mcb.fhwa.dot.gov -- provides a "one-stop" shop for information, training opportunities and technical assistance on the metropolitan transportation process. The site contains information about the MCB program, a briefing book for metropolitan planning organization board members, case studies, training information, hot links to other relevant sites and more. Back to top Commuter Challenge Award The Regional Council earned a Special Recognition Commuter Challenge Diamond Award for the third time since 1997 for its successful, voluntary efforts to reduce drive-alone commutes by employees. At least 98 percent of the Council's employees often bus, carpool, walk, or bike to work. Commissioner Bob Edwards, Regional Council President, and employee transportation coordinator Grace Foster are shown accepting a Commuter Challenge award. Back to top Employment Trends 1999-2000 The central Puget Sound region gained nearly 43,000 jobs between 1999 and 2000, continuing its strong record of job growth prior to the current economic slowdown. King County had the largest increase in employment between 1999 and 2000, with an increase of around 40,000 jobs. Of the four counties, Snohomish was the only county that did not increase in employment. Everett alone lost over 6,000 jobs, mainly in the manufacturing sector. Most of these can be attributed to cuts in Boeing's employment. Overall, the county's job loss total reached almost 5,000 between 1999 and 2000. Chart 1: Job Gains/Losses by County Between 1999 and 2000    Source: PSRC calculations derived from ES-202 data from the Employment Security Department* Table 1 shows the top five cities with the greatest job growth, all of them located in King County. Although not shown on the list, Tacoma and Lakewood also gained with additions of 2,744 and 2,027 jobs, respectively. In Kitsap County, the city with the greatest increase was Bremerton, adding 830 jobs, and in Snohomish County, Lynnwood, with a gain of 556. Table 1: Top 5 Cities with Greatest Job Growth in the Central Puget Sound Region, 1999-2000   Table 2: Top 5 Cities with Greatest Job Loss in the Central Puget Sound Region, 1999-2000 Seattle 16,165   Everett (6,363) Bellevue 5,216   Tukwila (3,095) Redmond 4,514   Mukilteo (436) Kirkland 4,114   Algona (391) Woodinville 3,038   Edmonds (328) Source: PSRC calculations derived from ES-202 data from the Employment Security Department* Table 2 shows the top five cities with the greatest job loss between 1999 and 2000. Many of these jobs can be attributed to Boeing. Regional employment data presented in this Trend is based on the most recent available data. The employment information lags behind a year due to processing time by the state Employment Security Department and the Regional Council. Data showing the current employment situation will be available in fall of 2003. For additional information on regional employment data, go to the March issue of Puget Sound Trends on the Web at psrc.org. For questions about data presented in this article, contact Kristen Koch at (206) 587-5667. * Note: To account for annexations and incorporations, the 1999 data was controlled to the 2000 city boundaries.