• Regional Focus on Traffic Operations to Relieve Congestion
• PSRC to Consider Approving $3.8 Million for Transportation Projects
• 2008 Public Works Program Competition
• Puget Sound Trends: Growing Economy Attracting New People to Region
• Back Issues

New work is underway to significantly improve traffic operations regionally. Spearheaded by PSRC, a new regional coordinating committee is focused on a strategy to make traffic better and reduce congestion through operational improvements. "If other drivers are as frustrated as I am with having to stop at every traffic light, this increased emphasis on signal coordination and other ways of improving flow should be a very welcome direction," said Charlie Howard, PSRC's Transportation Planning Director.

Improving system operations is one of four key congestion relief strategies embedded in the region's long-range transportation plan, Destination 2030. The other three approaches to congestion relief are: efficient land use planning, ways to shift travel demand, and system expansion.

Research shows that a modest investment in operations can make a huge difference in the average person's commute. National studies have shown that coordinated signal systems can improve traffic by reducing delay up to 40 percent and travel time up to 25 percent.

While the region is internationally known already for its advanced work on highway information systems, a FHWA report shows that the region can do much better. The Puget Sound Regional Traffic Operations Assessment found 10 specific areas ripe for improvement, including strengthening regional leadership, creating a sustainable funding source, and implementing a regional performance monitoring program. Comprised of senior transportation staff from the region's jurisdictions, Transportation Policy Board representatives and liaisons from the emergency management, transit, and freight communities, the new Regional Traffic Operations Committee is on point to address these issues and has already begun two key projects. One will help institute protocols for regionally coordinated operations and the other is the Regional Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Implementation Strategy, which will identify the next best steps in operations and prioritize projects on key corridors.

"I applaud PSRC for doing this," said Bruce Agnew, Cascadia Program Director, at a briefing on the topic at the Regional Freight Mobility Roundtable. "Ramping up ITS technologies nationally and in Puget Sound means that the very roads and transit systems in which taxpayers invest billions of dollars can run smoother and perform better. Because time is our most valuable nonrenewable resource, that's an investment we can't afford to minimize."

Spurred on by examples in the region, operations management is fast establishing itself as the most cost efficient way to reduce congestion. The Trans-Valley ITS project coordinates 23 signals and seven cameras across a 6.5-mile corridor through Tukwila, Kent, Renton and unincorporated King County. A $4.5 million dollar investment in this project reduced delay throughout the corridor by up to 30 percent during the peak period. Seattle's signal optimization at along Greenwood from 105th to 145th produced similar results at 14 intersections for $45,000.

The region has another important operations-related project in the pipeline. Traffic Busters, primarily funded via PSRC, is establishing an upgraded data network throughout urban King County and south Snohomish County that enables sharing of camera and signal information regionally -- meaning the region will be able to coordinate signals, cameras, and incident management, and easily share traffic operations data.

For more information, contact Robin Mayhew at 206-464-7537 or rmayhew@psrc.org or Stephanie Rossi at 206-971-3054 or srossi@psrc.org.

PSRC wants to hear what Puget Sound residents think about six projects recommended to receive $3.8 million in funding during 2008 to 2010.

The funds come 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.

The projects up for public comment 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.

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 are new to the region and require a public comment and review period before they can 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 consis-tent with the region's metropolitan long-range transportation plan, Destination 2030.

The projects are accessible through the PSRC website in a new Google map format that allows direct public comment opportunities in addition to regular project listings (http://www.psrc.org/projects/tip/tipGMap/index.htm).