PSRC Releases Opinion Poll on Regional Transportation

The Puget Sound regional Council recently released the findings of a public opinion poll on regional transportation. The poll was conducted to enhance public input for the Transportation 2040 plan. The telephone survey polled 1,200 randomly selected individuals from King (600 respondents), Pierce (200 respondents), Snohomish (200 respondents) and Kitsap (200 respondents) counties.

The survey concluded that Pierce County residents:

· Value maintaining/preserving current transportation system
· Addressing congestion is very important
· Safety is highly important
· More likely to support electronic tolling

More information on Transportation 2040 is available in a previous post: RAMP reviews PSRC's Transporation 2040

Pierce County Projects to be Included in T2040 Plan

This Thursday (11/12/09) the PSRC Transportation Policy Board will recommend the Transportation 2040 Proposed Preferred Alternative to the PSRC’s Executive Board.

The Pierce County projects to be included in the constrained portion of the plan can be viewed here. These projects include extending SR 167 to the Port of Tacoma, extending the SR 167 HOT lanes to the current terminus in Puyallup and building SR 704 the Cross-base Highway.

More information on the T2040 process is available in the previous post: RAMP reviews PSRC's Transporation 2040.

WSDOT Survey Opens for Your Opinion

The Washington State Department of Transportation's mission is to keep people and business moving by operating and improving the state's transportation systems vital to the taxpayers and communities.

They would like to know your opinion about how they're doing. Please take a few minutes to complete this brief survey. Your feedback will help them learn more about how they can improve their performance.

Congress Extends SAFETEA-LU

Thanks fto WSDOT for this update:

On Thursday, Congress passed legislation to extend SAFETEA-LU, and to continue
funding USDOT, through December 18th. The President should sign the bill into
law sometime in the next two days.

The Senate may attempt to pass a 6 month extension of SAFETEA-LU next week. The House Transportation Committee chair continues to oppose that.

For more information on
this and other related topics visit: http://wsdotfederalfunding.blogspot.com/

SAFTEA-LU Reauthorization Update

Thanks to WSDOT for passing on this update on the SAFTEA-LU Reauthorization. Learn more about federal funding on their blog:

Reports are sketchy but apparently on Wednesday some Senators attempted, unsuccessfully, a legislative maneuver to pass an 18-month extension of SAFETEA-LU. “Hotlining” is a process in which Senators are asked if they would object to taking up a bill and passing it without debate or amendment. If so much as one Senator objects, the legislation must be scheduled for a floor debate and vote. It’s a process often used for non-controversial bills, and sometimes used to flush out potential objections and amendments.

At least one Senator objected, almost certainly Senator George Voinovich (R-Ohio), who supports a shorter extension (e.g., 12-month). Voinovich is retiring in November 2010, and may want the shorter extension so that he can influence the longer-term bill and funding for Ohio projects.

It’s possible the Senate could debate the bill next week (Oct 26-30). But there would likely be filibusters from Voinovich and others, and it’s unclear if the Senate could pass the bill next week. At any rate, it’s hard to see how a final extension bill could be negotiated by the House and Senate and sent to the President by November 1, unless there’s a last minute agreement on a shorter-term extension.

Best guess at this point is we get another one-month extension, along with a one-month extension of 2010 transportation appropriations spending.

WSDOT Takes Truck Ops Survey

The Washington State Department of Transportation is requesting your input regarding impediments to the operation of trucks in the State of Washington.

The information gathered from this short survey will be used as part of the Highway System Plan.

The Truck Corridor Survey consists of (3) questions. Please take a moment to share your input with them. Click here to access the survey.

RAMP reviews PSRC's Transporation 2040

Wednesday a representative from the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) briefed RAMP on the preliminary preferred alternative for Transportation 2040, the region’s long-range transportation planning document.

The presentation is available here.

PSRC staff is developing the preferred alternative based on public comments received on the DEIS this summer. The PSRC’s transportation policy Board comprised of elected officials and stakeholders from King, Pierce, Kitsap and Snohomish counties is scheduled to vote to recommend the preferred alternative to the PSRC Executive Board on November 12th. The Executive Board will adopt the preferred alternative on December 3rd.

For more information go to the PSRC’s project website

Lakewood Updates RAMP on OEA Congestion Study

At last Wednesday's RAMP meeting Dan Penrose from the City of Lakewood updated the group on preliminary findings from the I-5 congestion study the City of Lakewood has been designated to administer on behalf of the Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA) at the Department of Defense.

The presentation is available here.

In January 2009, OEA awarded the City a $450,000 planning assistance grant to study congestion on Interstate 5 through Ft. Lewis. The grant funds efforts to refine computer traffic models and determine which transportation alternatives would best address the challenges in the Interstate 5 corridor adjacent to Ft. Lewis and McChord AFB.

The 18 month study, closely coordinated with the Washington State Department of Transportation, Ft. Lewis, McChord AFB and other regional stakeholders, considers which strategies hold the most promise for reducing the congestion drivers experience on I-5 as a result of the increased base population.

More information on the study is available on the City of Lakewood website and the WSDOT project page.

Joint Transportation Committee Evaluates Alternative Funding Options

Traditional sources of revenue for transportation, namely sales and gas taxes no longer keep pace with the demand for transportation investments. In response, the Joint Transportation Committee of the Washington State Legislature has commissioned a study to identify viable funding alternatives. The goal of the study is to develop a package of funding tools the legislature can consider to meet transportation funding objectives.

- The Evaluation Framework and alternatives being considered can be found here.

- A summary of the goals and process is available in a September 30th, 2009 presentation to the Joint Transportation Committee.

For more information please go to the Joint Transportation Committee’s website.

Candidates Appear at Transportation Forum

You’re invited!

Tacoma Mayoral/City Council Candidates’ Transportation and Land-Use Forum

On Thursday, October 1st, please join an exciting group of co-hosting organizations for a lively evening debate as we pose questions about transportation and land-use to the Tacoma City Council and Mayoral candidates.

When: Thursday, Oct 1st, 6:30-8:30 p.m.*
Where: Carwein Auditorium, Keystone Building - UWT

Event Co-Hosts:
Transportation Choices Coalition, The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber, University of Washington Urban Studies Program, Futurewise, Cascade Bicycle Club, Tacoma Wheelman’s Bicycle Club, Tacoma Sun, Cascade Land Conservancy, Exit 133.

* Approximately two weeks after this event until election day, the Forum will be available for 24-hour viewing on Click! Cable TV’s local section of On Demand.

Ramp Takes Leap

Last week, the spectrum of funding partners took shovels in hand for the official groundbreaking for the Lincoln Avenue Grade Separation.

Photo: Kathy Tomandl, Port of Tacoma

Nowadays, no ONE builds transportation infrastructure. And last Friday's ceremony demonstrated the collaborative effort that results in success.

As the Port says on their website: Although local in nature, this project offers economic benefits for both Washington state and the nation. Tacoma is a gateway port, and much of the cargo moving through here is bound for inland markets such as Chicago and New York.

Upon completion, the grade separation will significantly improve rail and road efficiency and will also enhance air quality.

Most Popular Pavings - Good Intentions

Paula Hammond, Secretary of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), was featured at today's Transportation Club of Tacoma meeting.

Her presentation could be considered a lament. She recounted her first day of the job, when the Milwaukee bridge collapsed that lead directly to WSDOT's decision to close the Murray Morgan Bridge. Then, she recalled the first (of three) floodings of I-5 that lead to miles of truck-trailers queued with no alternative routes. And, she talked of a funding tie between cents per gallon and a declining gas sales/miles driven both because of consumer behavior changes and recessionary responses. And, let's not even get started on the state's ferries!

She did point to the $10 billion of projects just in the Puget Sound area, with another $5 billion in other parts of the state. Of 391 projects at the beginning, 183 are completed, 82 are under construction and 22 are about to go into construction. For anyone who wants to check up on their particular interest in a project(s), go to their website.

Q's from the audience covered a wide range of topics, but the most popular subject seemed to be SR-167. In response, Hammond noted that the corridor lost its funding proposal with the failure of Proposition 1. Now that transit has passed its expansion measure, the region is left without addressing its road future. The legislature has funded a tolling study for the completion of SR-167, to measure revenue potential and traffic diversions. SR-167 remains a hot topic, not because of the HOT Lanes tolling in the HOV lanes, but because of the new threat to flooding from failures in the Howard Hanson Dam.

All this and more makes one wish for debates of old when road surfaces were evaluated for quieter performance versus cost-effective permanency.

Lincoln Ave. Overpass Breaks Ground- You're invited

Please join Senator Patty Murray and the Port of Tacoma Commission and staff as we “lift” Lincoln Avenue. It took over a decade of workbut thanks to our many transportation partners, the final phase of the Lincoln Avenue Grade Separation will finally begin!

Some people would call this a Groundbreaking, but we call it a Roadraising!

Friday, September 18, 2009
1:00 to 1:45 p.m.

Cookies and beverages served.

From Interstate 5 take the Portland Avenue exit(Northbound Exit #134 or Southbound Exit #135). At Portland Avenue, head north to Lincoln Avenue (0.7 miles).At the light, take a right onto Lincoln Avenue and proceedapproximately 0.4 miles to the parking area.

Please consider flat-soled shoes.

RSVP by email to apeterson@portoftacoma.com

A Call for Federal Transportation Reform

At a Seattle forum last week the National Transportation Policy Project (NTPP) made the case for an overhaul of federal transportation policy. Their case comes in the form of a report, Performance Driven: A New Vision for U.S. Transportation Policy, the product of a bipartisan group of 26 politically and professionally diverse members. The report proposes five key goals for future national transportation policy: economic growth, national connectivity, metropolitan accessibility, energy security and environmental protection, and safety.

Based on these goals, the NTPP report contends that performance measures should be used to determine future federal funding allocation to state transportation agencies. While the report proposes that 67% of federal funding remain formula based, the other 33% would be competitively based on the performance of states’ transportation systems. As part of this performance determination, the group also calls for increased investment in Intelligent Transportation Systems, or systems embedded in transportation infrastructure that monitor the system and provide critical data to decision-makers and citizens.

The NTPP pitched their report to an audience of approximately 150 in the transportation field, including numerous state transportation heavy weights such as Paula Hammond, Secretary of the Washington State Department of Transportation and Charlie Howard, Transportation Planning Director for the Puget Sound Regional Council. Joni Earl, Sound Transit CEO, offered her eloquent and insightful thoughts on NTPP's recommendations during her keynote address, suggesting increased consideration of multimodal transportation in the NTPP's proposed goals and performance measures.

The NTPP’s report has been and will continue to be circulated on Capital Hill in the next 12 to 18 months of debate leading up to the next Federal Transportation Authorization Bill. While the current report is a finished product, NTPP representatives stressed throughout the forum that the conversation regarding federal transportation reform is ongoing and far from over.

Take a look at the NTPP's report here

Pierce County Community Celebrates Cross Base

Congressman Adam Smith, Representatives Becker and Campbell, County Executive Pat McCarthy and representatives from the offices of Governor Gregoire and Congressman Norm Dicks, among others were on hand yesterday to celebrate the completion of Project 1 of SR 704, the Cross Base Highway.













The ribbon cutting for Project 1 celebrates the completion of a project nearly 20-years in the making- the first phase of a planned six-mile, multi-lane highway stretching across the Fort Lewis and McChord military bases between SR7 and I-5. Project 1 widened a three-quarter mile stretch of Spanaway Loop to five lanes, added dual right-turn lanes from Spanaway Loop Road to southbound SR7 and dual left-turn lanes from northbound SR 7 to Spanaway Loop Road.

The remaining three Cross Base Highway projects will be completed as funding becomes available. Once completed, the new limited access highway will improve access for residents and freight in South Pierce County.

Crossbase Highway- Project 1 Complete!

Please join WSDOT Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond and County Executive Pat McCarthy in celebrating the completion of Project 1 of the Cross-Base Highway – Spanaway Loop Road to SR 7.

When: 10 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009

Where: The cul-de-sac at the end of 175th Court, Spanaway WA

Project 1 connects Spanaway Loop Road to SR 7, drastically improving safety and mobility. A new dual right-turn lane from Spanaway Loop Road to southbound SR 7 is already easing back-ups and improving safety during peak travel times.

The SR 704 Cross-base Highway is divided into five independent projects. Construction on Project 1, Spanaway Loop Rd to SR 7, began in July 2008. The four remaining projects are in the design phase. Go to http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR704/CrossBase/ for more information.

Directions to the event:

From SR 512, take the second exit to south SR 7/Pacific Avenue.

Travel south on SR 7/Pacific Avenue for 4.4 miles.

Turn right at 174th Street South

Turn left at 4th Avenue South

Turn right on 176th Street south and follow the noise wall to the end of the cul-de-sac.

Please RSVP to Lisa Copeland, WSDOT Communications, (360) 357-2789 or copelal@wsdot.wa.gov.

Pierce County’s HOV Lane Construction Begins!

I-5 reduced to one lane in Fife for HOV widening project

From WSDOT News:
FIFE – If your Saturday night plans include traveling north on I-5 from Tacoma to Seattle, be ready for backups or, better yet, adjust your plans.

Crews on the I-5 HOV widening project through Fife begin closing lanes at 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22. By 11 p.m., a triple-lane closure will be in place, leaving just the inside lane open to traffic.

There will be workers and equipment on the freeway, so please stay alert and drive cautiously through the work zone. Crews plan to begin reopening lanes by 8 a.m. Sunday, and have all four lanes open to traffic by 10 a.m. Sunday.

The lane closures allow crews to restripe a three-mile stretch of northbound I-5. The revised striping narrows each lane by a foot (from 12 feet to 11 feet) and shifts traffic away from the median to create work space for the widening project.

The I-5 Port of Tacoma Road to King County Line HOV project widens both directions of I-5 from four to five lanes from the Port of Tacoma Road to the King/Pierce county line. The two additional lanes extend the I-5 HOV network south from King County, three miles into Pierce County.

Construction, funded in part by the 2003 gas tax package, also includes more than $35 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

Online project information: www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/PiercecountyHOV/I5_PortTacomatoKing/

Contact: Rumina Suafoa, WSDOT Project Engineer, 253-534-3100
Jamie Swift, WSDOT Communications, 360-507-4261

Pierce County's Transportation Plan Update Delayed

From Pierce County: The County Council recently conducted several study sessions regarding the update to Pierce County's 20-Year Transportation Plan. Based upon the Council and departmental input received during those study sessions, the schedule for the Transportation Plan Update (TPU) has been modified to align with the 2011 Pierce County Comprehensive Plan update. This alignment will result in the adoption of the TPU being delayed approximately 18 to 24 months and will enable the TPU to accurately reflect the land use, population, employment, and other policy assumptions of an updated Comprehensive Plan.

2010 Federal Transportation Appropriations

The House passed its 2010 transportation spending bill. Here is the draft list of project earmarks for Washington State . The number of earmarks continues to decline compared to previous years.

Highway programs would receive a 1% increase, transit funding would increase 3.3%, safety program funding would increase 1.3%, and aviation funding would increase 3.3 %. High Speed rail funding is penciled in at $4 billion, an increase over the President’s request of $1 billion. However, until Congress replenishes the Highway Trust fund, those spending levels cannot be achieved.

State and Federal Legislators and Staff to Discuss Puget Sound Transportation

This summer transportation advocacy orgaization, Transportation Choices Coalilition has hosted a series of Town Hall meetings entitled, Visioning the Puget Sound Region's Transportation Future

In May, a local panel of experts identified the primary regional transportation challenges. In June, they discussed a few exciting opportunities to address those challenges. In August, they're pulling out all the stops, with Town Hall Part III - Perspectives from the State and Federal Level

Join the all-star panel of legislators and policy staff for a discussion on what it will take at the federal and state level to address our transportation challenges. Get an insight into their vision for the region's transportation future and find out what their plans are to make it happen.

Join us for a special discussion with our panelists:
Senator Mary Margaret Haugen, 10th Legislative District, Chair of the Washington State Senate Transportation CommitteeRepresentative

Representative Judy Clibborn, 41st Legislative District, Chair of the Washington State House Transportation Committee

Sheila Babb, Deputy State Director, Office of U.S. Senator Patty Murray

Jennifer Ziegler, Executive Policy Advisor on Transportation, Office of Governor Christine Gregoire

WHEN: Friday August 7, 12:00pm - 1:30pm
WHERE: Bertha Knight Landes Room, Seattle City Hall, 5th Avenue between Cherry and James St. (please note change in venue)
As always, feel free to bring your lunch.

This townhall series is brought to you byTransportation Choices Coalition, Futurewise, WashPIRG, Sierra Club Cascade Chapter, Bicycle Alliance of Washington, Cascade Bicycle Club, Seattle Transit Blog, Feet First, Commute Seattle and Zipcar