• PSRC Seeking Input on Transportation Projects Recommended for Funding
• DESTINATION 2030 Outreach - Get Involved!
• Puget Sound Trends: Driving Keeps Pace with Population and Job Growth
• Back Issues

The Riverfront Trail in the City of Snohomish was partially funded with PSRC funds. The project was honored with a Destination 2030 Award in April 2006.

The Puget Sound Regional Council has recommended a diverse group of priority transportation projects to receive $502.4 million in funding during 2008 to 2010. 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.

"It's never easy to decide how to distribute scarce resources among such important transportation projects," says PSRC President Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg, "but I'm confident that the projects that moved forward today meet specific needs throughout the region. I'm also pleased that the scoring process for the projects took economic development and the industry clusters presented in the Regional Economic Strategy into consideration. We are really making a difference in the region by taking advantage of the economic nexus that occurs when you make a transportation decision and a land use decision."

The following are some of the projects selected to receive PSRC's federal STP, CMAQ and FTA funds:

Acquisition of Articulated Hybrid Buses:	$8,450,000
Airport Link:	$27,919,667
Bellevue Downtown Circulation Improvements:	$2,049,000
King County Metro Bus Rapid Transit:	$5,000,000
Lincoln Ave. Bridge (Puyallup River Crossing):	$2,300,000
City of Tacoma: Lincoln Avenue Bridge - Puyallup River Crossing
Lincoln Ave. Grade Separation:	$2,500,000
Pacific Ave. Safety and Mobility Improvements:	$3,759,865
Pacific Highway South HOV Lanes:	$2,000,000
S. 228th St. BNSF Grade Separation:	$5,000,323
South Lake Union Street Car:	$3,380,000
SR 99 Bus Rapid Transit:	$5,000,000
South Park Bridge Replacement:	$5,000,000
South Spokane St. Viaduct - 4th Ave. Off-ramp:	$4,500,000
SW 27th St./Strander Blvd. Connection:	$4,600,000
University Link: Purchase ROW for Light Rail Stations:	$12,000,000
S. Everett Freeway Station and HOV Access:	$2,000,000
Mukilteo Multimodal Ferry Terminal:	$8,500,000
Washington State Ferries: Mukilteo Multimodal Ferry Terminal Project
Ferry Boat Replacement/Fleet Expansion:	$2,250,000
Waaga Way Extension:	$3,200,000
Downtown Tacoma Intelligent Traffic Control:	$2,556,000
WSDOT Fleet Warning Light and Exhaust Retrofits:	$1,500,000
Puget Sound Traffic Buster:	$1,370,573

City of Kent / WSDOT: S. 228th St. BNSF Grade Separation

A complete list of projects and more project information is available online at psrc.org. Many of the projects can also be viewed geographically on PSRC's Web based map at psrc.org. For more information, contact Karen Richter at 206-464-6343, krichter@psrc.org.

Written comments will be accepted until October 5 and included in the agenda packet for the Transportation Policy Board meeting on October 12, when it finalizes its recommendation to the Executive Board. Comments can be made in person at the Transportation Policy Board meeting, as well as the Executive Board meeting on October 26, when the draft Transportation Improvement Program is scheduled for final approval.

Outreach - Get Involved!

Over the next few months, PSRC will be working with local governments and other interests to develop recommendations for six policy areas: Special Needs, Security, Safety, Congestion Management, Environmental Mitigation, and Commute Trip Reduction. Brief information papers on these topics will be available online at psrc.org later this month. Be sure to check out the Coordinated Human Services and Public Transit Transportation Plan, which is up for public comment right now.

To stay involved, keep reading Regional VIEW, visit our website psrc.org, or attend PSRC board meetings. PSRC will be participating in a number of open houses this fall. Look for us at the roads and transit open houses being hosted by Sound Transit and the Regional Transportation Investment District:

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

The miles people drive in the region continue to grow at about the same rate as population and employment. In the last 10 years, driving miles grew an average of 1.2 percent annually, while employment and population each grew 1.4 percent annually.

Figure 1. Cumulative Growth, 1980-1992
While driving continues to increase, the rate of growth is much less than in the 1980s and early 1990s when vehicle travel grew dramatically. Between 1980 and 1992 the amount of driving, measured by total vehicle miles traveled, increased 78.5 percent. At the same time, population grew 28.9 percent and employment increased 39.4 percent. From 1992 to 2005, while population increased 19.8 percent and employment increased 22.5 percent, vehicle miles traveled increased a comparable 24.1 percent.

Figure 2. Cumulative Growth, 1992-2005
In the 1980s the rate of employment growth outstripped the rate of population growth as more households became two-worker households. The overall number of workers rose from four out of every 10 people in 1976 to five out of every 10 people in 1988. Commute distances became longer, and the number of registered vehicles also grew faster than the population. During the employment boom of 1998 to 2000, the employment ratio rose to 5.5 workers out of every 10 people, but the ratio has now returned to 5.1.

The full version of this Trend is available online at psrc.org. For more information, contact Larry Blain at 206-464-5402 or lblain@psrc.org.

Figure 3. Five-year Average Annual Growth Rates

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