Proposed Action

The Puget Sound Regional Council is updating the current regional transportation plan, Destination 2030. The new plan, Transportation 2040, will identify the best ways for people to travel while making our communities, environment, and economy stronger as the region grows.

Five action alternatives and a baseline alternative reflecting existing funded plans and projects were developed to frame important issues for discussion among regional leaders, community members, business, and environmental groups through 2009.

Transportation 2040 is taking a fresh approach to meeting the mobility needs of a growing region while sustaining the environment and supporting the regional economy. The region has made solid progress towards improving transportation in the last ten years. The new plan will move beyond the past to employ 21st century technology to deliver a strategy to take us into the future.

Each alternative under consideration includes a strategy to identify sufficient funding sources to help keep pace with the region’s needs, but each takes a different approach to making transportation investments. The approaches range from making modest improvements with limited funds to shifting regional priorities in a way that would result in a new type of transportation system. In every case, tolling plays a part, both to pay for improvements and to manage congestion.

Proponent and SEPA Lead Agency

Puget Sound Regional Council
1011 Western Ave., Suite 500
Seattle, WA 98104-1035
206-464-7090
www.psrc.org
Puget Sound Regional Council SEPA Policies [pdf]

SEPA Responsible Official

Norman A. Abbott, PhD, AICP
Director of Growth Management Planning and SEPA Responsible Official
Puget Sound Regional Council
1011 Western Ave., Suite 500
Seattle, WA 98104-1035

Licenses and Approvals

The Transportation 2040 plan will be adopted by the General Assembly of the Puget Sound Regional Council.

Principal Contributors

Please see List of Preparers, page L-1
h2. Date of Issue of Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)

May 29, 2009.

Comment Period

The extended DEIS comment period ran from May 29 to July 31, 2009.

Courtesy Hearing and Presentations

PSRC held an open house and courtesy hearing in tandem with the Transportation Policy Board meeting on July 9, 2009. Presentations on the DEIS will be held throughout the central Puget Sound region. Scheduled presentations are listed online at psrc.org. Contact Marina King, 206-389-2878, mking@psrc.org with questions or to schedule a presentation.

Next Steps

Following the close of the public comment period on the DEIS, PSRC will respond to comments and prepare the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for publication in early 2010. After the FEIS is published, the General Assembly of the Puget Sound Regional Council will make a final decision on the plan to be adopted. Adoption of the plan is expected in spring 2010.

Documents Incorporated by Reference

The following environmental document is hereby incorporated by reference into this Transportation 2040 DEIS. Copies of this document are available for review at PSRC offices – 1011 Western Avenue, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98104-1035.

VISION 2040 Final Environmental Impact Statement, PSRC, April 2008.

Document Availability

Copies of the DEIS on CD may be obtained by contacting the PSRC Information Center, 206-464-7532, info@psrc.org, and are available for download at psrc.org. A full printed copy of the DEIS is available for review at the offices of PSRC, 1011 Western Ave., Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98104-1035. Copies of the DEIS are also available at libraries in King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish counties.