Regional View August 2004

Regional View Newsletter

August 2004 [pdf version]

Table of Contents

119 Projects Recommended for PSRC Funding, Air Quality Modeling is Next Step
Economic Board Selects Projects For Public Works Program Funding Competition
Air Transportation Progress Workshop
Puget Sound Trends: How do you get to work?
Back Issues

119 Projects Recommended for PSRC Funding, Air Quality Modeling is Next Step

The Puget Sound Regional Council has recommended 119 transportation projects, large and small, to receive $325.5 million in funding during 2005 to 2007. The funds are derived from three federal sources available via the PSRC: Surface Transportation Program (STP), Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ), and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funds.

"The recommendation process is always highly competitive; there are so many important projects and not enough funding to go around," says Councilmember Richard McIver. "Achieving consensus on how to distribute this funding is one of the primary responsibilities of the Puget Sound Regional Council. We have selected excellent projects to receive this funding. Each of them will bring us closer to implementing Destination 2030 and will meet essential needs throughout the region."

The recommendation was based on four technical processes: two regional competitions, one for Surface Transportation Program (STP) and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) dollars and one for Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funds, as well as projects recommended by transportation forums in each of the counties and a non-competitive process for FTA funds.

The projects will be modeled for air quality testing along with the draft 2005-2007 Regional Transportation Improvement Program, submitted for public review and comment, and will be returned to the Executive Board for final approval in October.

The following projects were recommended to receive PSRC funds from the regional competition:


Airport Link: Light Rail to SeaTac Airport & S 200th	$14,250,000
BNSF Eastside Rail Corridor Preservation Study	$635,000*
Clean Air Bus Initiative - King County & Sound Transit	$17,945,554
Early Implementation: I-90 2-Way Transit/HOV project	$1,431,527
Ferry Boat Replacement/Expansion	$1,000,000
I-5 Mountlake Terrace Commuter Parking/Freeway Station	$4,700,000*
King County Smart Growth Initiative	$4,485,450
Mukilteo Terminal & Commuter Rail Pedestrian Connections	$5,837,404
Pacific Hwy S/Int'l Blvd. Redevelopment	$7,808,671*
PSRC Rural Town Centers & Corridors Pilot Program	$2,000,000
PSRC Planning & Programming	$1,550,000
Sounder Commuter Rail - Lakewood to Tacoma	$8,589,159
South Lake Union Streetcar	$4,069,048**
South Spokane St. Viaduct	$6,680,457
SR 305 (Bond Rd/SR 307 to Hostmark Rd/SR 307)	$3,072,183*
Expansion Buses - Pierce Transit	$7,628,234**
3rd Ave Extension & Intermodal Connection	$1,000,000
112th St SE/I-5 Bridge Widening	$2,385,878

*this project also received funds from the county level STP/CMAQ competition
** this project also received funds from the non-competitive FTA process

A list of all projects selected for PSRC funding is available at psrc.org/projects/tip. For more information, contact Karen Richter at
206-464-6343 or krichter@psrc.org.

Economic Board Selects Projects For Public Works Program Funding Competition

Each year Public Works Program projects are submitted to the Economic Development District (EDD) for ranking and the top projects are then submitted to the Economic Development Administration (EDA) to compete for funding. Ten projects have received a total of $17 million in EDA funding in the last decade. The rankings are also provided to the region's Congressional delegation for their use in prioritizing regional projects for funding. High rankings can also be used to leverage funding from other sources.

The goal of the Public Works Program is to support long-term economic development in areas experiencing economic distress through investments in public infrastructure and facilities necessary to generate private investments that provide higher-skill, higher-wage jobs.

The top ranked projects generally fulfill an urgent development need such as retaining an existing employment base or allowing a community to capitalize on a development window of opportunity.

The projects were ranked as follows; please note there are two top projects and two tied for fourth place:

1.	City of Renton -- South Lake Washington Infrastructure. Construct road, water, sewer and storm water infrastructure to support commercial redevelopment of surplus Boeing properties in Renton Urban Center.	Grant Request: $1,000,000
1.	Port of Bremerton -- Marine Transportation Center and Marina Expansion. Multifaceted marine transportation complex including a harbor protection system, public access, public passenger ferry service docking facility and expansion of Bremerton Marina.	Grant Request: $3,000,000
2.	City of Everett -- Riverfront Redevelopment. Move railroad tracks to create better access between two adjacent parcels that are seeking redevelopment.	Grant Request: $1,500,000
3.	City of Seattle -- S. Lake Union Streetcar. Construct streetcar line between downtown Seattle and South Lake Union to provide increased transportation service.	Grant Request: $3,000,000
4.	Pierce County -- Canyon Road Extension. Extend Canyon Road from 192nd St E to 200th St E to provide access to undeveloped industrial and manufacturing properties.	Grant Request: $1,500,000
4.	City of Bellevue -- NE 10th Street Construction. Construct a segment of 10th Street extending from 116th Ave NE to a new south entrance for the expanding Overlake Hospital Medical Center campus.	Grant Request: $2,000,000
5.	King County -- Brightwater Treatment System. Pay for design phase of storm water detention facility.	Grant Request: $3,000,000
6.	City of Lake Stevens - Industrial Sewer and Road. Construct controlled access road at SR-92, with street, telecommunications, and sewer infrastructure.	Grant Request: $1,500,000

For more information, contact Richard Berndt at 206-587-5061 or rbrendt@psrc.org.

PUGET SOUND Trends
How do you get to work?

The data is derived from the 2000 Census Transportation Planning Package and is in response to the questions "where did you work last week and how did you get there?" The addresses of the origins and destinations are located to a point, and the corresponding survey responses are aggregated to various geographic levels.

Where you live is one basic deciding factor in how you choose to go to work each day. Travel times depend on good connections and choices between areas. This Trend examines commute choices to the region's five major downtown areas. Trips to these five downtown areas represent about 17% of the total trips to work.

Commuters beginning their trip in the Seattle/Shoreline area show more variety in their travel choices when compared to the other subareas. They are most likely to drive alone for trips to Bellevue, Everett, and Tacoma. Fewer than 40% drive alone when heading to downtown Seattle. The bus is used almost as often as driving alone for trips to downtown Seattle. The bus is also used for trips to Bellevue and Tacoma. Carpooling usually captures at least 5% of the trips. Ferry travel is essential for those commuting to Bremerton, and biking and walking are popular for trips to downtown Seattle.

FROM Seattle/Shoreline

	Trips to Work	Drive Alone	Carpool	Bus	Ferry	Bike/Walk Mcycle/Taxi	Home
To Bellevue CBD	4,594	79.1%	6.8%	11.4%	0.2%	1.3%	0.0%
To Bremerton CBD	181	49.7%	2.2%	0.0%	44.2%	2.2%	0.0%
To Everett CBD	1,582	78.3%	16.4%	1.4%	0.0%	3.5%	0.0%
To Seattle CBD	83,123	38.3%	11.9%	36.4%	0.5%	10.7%	0.7%
To Tacoma CBD	583	80.1%	9.3%	7.2%	3.1%	0.0%	0.0%

Commuters beginning their trip in east King County are the most likely to drive alone, especially when traveling to downtown Tacoma. The bus is significant for trips to downtown Seattle, capturing 25% of the trips and lowering the drive alone share to 60%. The bus is also used for trips to downtown Bellevue. Carpooling captures over 10% of the trips to all of the downtown areas except Tacoma. Biking and walking account for 3% of the trips to downtown Bellevue.

FROM East King County

	Trips to Work	Drive Alone	Carpool	Bus	Ferry	Bike/Walk Mcycle/Taxi	Home
To Bellevue CBD	13,300	77.5%	11.4%	7.3%	0.0%	3.0%	0.2%
To Bremerton CBD	29	86.2%	13.8%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
To Everett CBD	1,338	86.7%	12.0%	0.7%	0.0%	0.3%	0.0%
To Seattle CBD	24,373	60.6%	12.8%	25.1%	0.3%	0.6%	0.0%
To Tacoma CBD	256	92.6%	3.1%	1.6%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%

Commuters beginning their trip in South King County are least likely to drive alone when heading north, opting for high carpool use to Everett and high bus use to Seattle. They are most likely to drive alone when heading to Tacoma, with very few using the bus and only moderate carpool use for these commutes. It is important to note that Commuter Rail service did not begin until September 2000, after the Census counts had already begun.

FROM South King County

	Trips to Work	Drive Alone	Carpool	Bus	Ferry	Bike/Walk Mcycle/Taxi	Home
To Bellevue CBD	3,643	79.1%	14.3%	5.7%	0.0%	0.3%	0.0%
To Bremerton CBD	85	71.8%	11.8%	4.7%	11.8%	0.0%	0.0%
To Everett CBD	519	59.7%	26.6%	11.2%	0.0%	0.8%	0.0%
To Seattle CBD	23,810	50.8%	16.7%	30.1%	0.2%	0.8%	0.0%
To Tacoma CBD	1,936	92.1%	7.2%	0.4%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%

Kitsap County commuters drive alone least often and are far more likely to carpool than the other subareas. The most common method of commuting to downtown Seattle was by ferry. Carpooling was common for the longer distances, especially Everett and Bellevue. The most popular route for driving alone was to Tacoma.

FROM Kitsap County

	Trips to Work	Drive Alone	Carpool	Bus	Ferry	Bike/Walk Mcycle/Taxi	Home
To Bellevue CBD	113	47.8%	30.1%	0.0%	7.1%	7.1%	0.0%
To Bremerton CBD	17,763	66.3%	20.8%	4.0%	0.9%	6.4%	1.0%
To Everett CBD	343	52.2%	41.1%	0.0%	5.2%	1.2%	0.0%
To Seattle CBD	6,147	20.3%	5.8%	3.3%	67.1%	3.0%	0.0%
To Tacoma CBD	570	86.1%	14.2%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%

People commuting from Pierce County are most likely to drive alone when commuting to downtown Tacoma and least likely to drive alone when going to downtown Seattle. Carpooling is widely used for all commutes, especially to Bremerton. The bus is used most frequently for trips to downtown Seattle.

FROM Pierce County

	Trips to Work	Drive Alone	Carpool	Bus	Ferry	Bike/Walk Mcycle/Taxi	Home
To Bellevue CBD	676	72.6%	25.6%	1.2%	0.0%	0.6%	0.0%
To Bremerton CBD	1,233	65.0%	34.6%	0.8%	0.0%	0.3%	0.0%
To Everett CBD	346	72.5%	25.4%	1.2%	0.0%	4.0%	0.0%
To Seattle CBD	6,019	50.2%	18.8%	32.3%	0.5%	0.6%	0.0%
To Tacoma CBD	27,464	81.6%	11.5%	3.8%	0.0%	2.2%	0.7%

Commuters from Snohomish County had a fairly high level of bus use, particularly when traveling to downtown Seattle. Busing and carpools combined with ferry service were popular for trips to Bremerton. Driving alone was most common for trips to Tacoma, Everett and Bellevue. Carpool trips were common for trips to Seattle and Bellevue and least common for trips to Tacoma.

FROM Snohomish County

	Trips to Work	Drive Alone	Carpool	Bus	Ferry	Bike/Walk Mcycle/Taxi	Home
To Bellevue CBD	2,669	74.1%	16.4%	8.6%	0.0%	0.1%	0.0%
To Bremerton CBD	235	50.6%	22.6%	12.3%	8.1%	6.4%	0.0%
To Everett CBD	34,427	81.0%	12.9%	2.1%	0.0%	2.7%	1.2%
To Seattle CBD	15,769	45.2%	18.6%	34.4%	0.1%	0.8%	0.0%
To Tacoma CBD	175	97.7%	2.3%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%

For more information, contact Kris Overby at 206-464-6661 or koverby@psrc.org.

PSRC will hold the 8th Annual Air Transportation Progress Workshop on October 20, 2004 from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM. The workshop will be held in the Highline School District Boardroom. Look for more information about the workshop in the September Regional View or see the website at psrc.org.

The workshop is part of the PSRC's ongoing obligation under Resolution A-96-02, which added planning for the third runway at Sea-Tac Airport to Destination 2030, the region's Metropolitan Transportation Plan.

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Sign language and communication material in alternative formats can be arranged given sufficient notice by calling Grace Foster at 206-464-7090. TDD\TTY: 206-464-5409. Funding for this newsletter provided in part by member jurisdictions, grants from U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, Federal Highway Administration and Washington State Department of Transportation. PSRC fully complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, Executive Order 12898 on Environmental Justice, related statutes and regulations in all programs and activities. For more information see www.psrc.org/about/titlevi/index.htm or call 206-464-6175. To subscribe or unsubscribe to Regional VIEW, please call 206-464-7090.

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