The first shovels of dirt have been turned on the Port of Tacoma Road project, one of 15 FAST Corridor projects aimed at improving port access and fixing rail/highway conflicts along the I-5 corridor from Tacoma to Everett.

Federal, state and local officials were on hand to break ground June 1 on the $33 million project that will raise Port of Tacoma Road above State Route 509 and railroad tracks. The new overpass will eliminate a major freight bottleneck and enable construction of a new rail arrival and departure area parallel to SR 509 and expansion of a rail staging yard – clearing tracks for commuter rail.

Funding for the project includes about $18 million from the Port of Tacoma and $12 million in federal funds allocated by the Regional Council. The Port of Tacoma Road was one of about eight top priority projects that received funding last winter when the Regional Council reallocated $110 million in federal funds to fill funding gaps created by the passage of Initiative 695.

"If it hadn't been for the work of PSRC, a lot of the partnerships developed in the FAST Corridor would have been lost," said Karen Schmidt, executive director of the state's Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board. "The fact that PSRC stepped forward to preserve many of these projects was extremely important."

FAST is co-sponsored by the Puget Sound Regional Council and the Washington State Department of Transportation. The partnership includes 11 cities, King and Pierce counties, the ports of Everett, Seattle and Tacoma, and two railroads.

The FAST partnership's sustained regional cooperation and ability to solve transportation problems was honored June 20 with a Distinguished Achievement Award from the National Association of Regional Councils (NARC).

"The NARC Achievement Awards honor regions whose projects promote regional cooperation and address cross-jurisdictional issues and challenges," said Paul Koneck, NARC's incoming president. "The FAST Corridor has helped the region, state legislature and congressional delegation to speak with one voice to identify and find funding for the investments that will improve freight mobility," Koneck said.

Officials break ground on the Port of Tacoma Road project, one of 15 FAST Corridor freight mobility projects to be completed by 2004.

Puget Sound's fast-growing economy has outpaced transportation improvements over the last decade. While the region has enjoyed employment growth 70 percent better than the national rate during the last three years, the region has also been recognized as one of the worst places in the nation for traffic congestion.

Through a successful public/private partnership, the FAST Corridor has identified strategic investments that will improve the region's transportation system and ease the movement of rail and highway shipments between the Pacific Rim and inland regions. Over half of the funds for the $470 million program have been secured. All projects are expected to be completed by 2004. For more information, contact Peter Beaulieu at (206) 464-7537, pbeaulieu@psrc.org.

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Everett Station Begins Construction

A new transportation center in Everett will bring together Sounder and Amtrak trains, buses, tour buses, shuttles, taxis, carpools, bicycles, and a park-and-ride -- all in one location. Everett Station received $5.4 million as part of an eight project $110 million package the Regional Council approved last winter to build priority projects which had lost funding due to passage of Initiative 695. A groundbreaking ceremony is planned for July 13.

The Puget Sound Regional Council is sponsoring four public workshops to provide information on how to apply for federal TEA-21 transportation enhancement funds. The workshops will feature the following:

• Overview of TEA-21 and its provision for transportation enhancement funding.
• Federal guidelines on the types of projects which are eligible for transportation enhancement funding.
• The combined regional/state process for selecting projects to receive funding.
• Assistance on how to complete the application form (application packets will be available at the workshops).

A new study by the Puget Sound Regional Council shows that the region has over 8,000 acres of industrial land that are close to job concentrations and highways, and are well positioned to accommodate shorter-term demand for industrial land.