How WA Fares in Congestion Report

The Texas Transportation Institute has just (November 2011) released its annual Congested Corridors Report. 

Unfortunately, Western Washington made almost all the Top 40 hits list!

The Congested Corridors Report (2010 data) includes an analysis of 328 specific (directional) freeway corridors in the U.S.  These corridors account for:

• 6 % of national urban freeway lane-miles
• 36% of urban freeway delay
• 33% of urban freeway truck delay

Each directional, adjacent and upstream segment of roadway that was congested for four hours per week was included in the corridor.  The minimum corridor length was three miles.

The Report measures reliability (how much the problems change day to day), extra travel time, increased fuel consumption and congestion costs. 

The stated purpose of the study is to understand how, when and where congestion occurs – as a tool to understanding what can be done.  Their conclusion:  all the potential congestion-reducing strategies are needed:  capacity and productivity.

Here’s how Washington State ranked against the Top 40 congested highway corridors throughout the nation.

Reliably Unreliable

Unreliability is the most disturbing problem. A predictable transportation system is important to motorists and goods movers. Reliability describes the extra time you add to each trip to ensure you will be on time – when you simply can’t be late. The Federal Highway Administration has been moving towards a greater focus on performance management in its programs. 

Area         Corridor       Endpoints                 Length      Natl Rank

Tacoma     I-5 SB         Exit 128- Exit 120    7.9 mi.         # 40

Congestion Leaders

This category ranks corridors by the annual delay per mile.  Considered are annual gallons of waster fuel and the annual congestion costs associated with fuel and delay.

Area         Corridor       Endpoints                 Length      Natl Rank

Seattle       I-5 SB        Exit 175- Exit 165    8.9 mi.         # 33

Morning Peak

This category shows corridors with the largest delay per mile in the morning peak (6am to 10 am).  It uses the same measures as the Congestion Leaders category, but only measured during the morning peak.

Area         Corridor       Endpoints                 Length      Natl Rank

Seattle      I-5 NB         Exit 161- Exit 164    4.1 mi.         # 35

Afternoon Peak

This is the category for the worst afternoon peaks (3 pm to 7 pm).  Again, it uses the same measures as the Congestion Leaders category, but only for the afternoon hours.

Area         Corridor       Endpoints                 Length      Natl Rank

Seattle       I-405 SB    Exit 14- Exit 10        4.5 mi.         # 21

Lunch Breaks

This is the midday hours congestion category, for the 10 am to 3pm time period.  Again, it uses the same measures at the Congestion Leaders category, but only for this midday time.

Area         Corridor       Endpoints                 Length      Natl Rank

Seattle      I-5 NB         Exit 161- Exit 164    4.1 mi.         # 19

Area         Corridor       Endpoints                 Length      Natl Rank

Seattle       I-5 SB        Exit 175- Exit 165    9.0 mi.         # 22

  

Weekend

This is the rarest category, as weekend congestion is rarely a stop-and-go situation on Saturdays and Sundays.  It’s usually occurring at major shopping areas, sporting venues and other recreational activity centers.   Like before, the measures are the same as for Congestion Leaders, but based on traffic during the weekends.

Area         Corridor       Endpoints                 Length      Natl Rank

Tacoma     I-5 NB        Exit 129- Exit 133    4.2 mi.         # 11

Area         Corridor       Endpoints                 Length      Natl Rank

Seattle       I-5 NB        Exit 161- Exit 164    4.1 mi.         # 29

Trucking

This category includes the amount of daily truck travel on each corridor. While it uses the same measures as the Congestion Leaders category, it is based entirely on truck travel. 

Area         Corridor       Endpoints                 Length      Natl Rank

Seattle       I-5 SB       Exit 175- Exit 165    9.0 mi.         # 37

One-Hit Wonders

Their (last and final) fanciful category includes urban areas that have only one or two corridors included in the Congested Leaders category.  Unfortunately, our area did not make this list.

Avoid Gridlock - Build 167!

Kell McAboy, Planner, Port of Tacoma, briefed the Chamber's Port-Industrial Committee members about the Tacoma Area Transportation Study Final Report.

McAboy noted the SR 167 project was a baseline condition that must be done. Without it, the 2030 planning horizon forecast transportation gridlock. The current cost of SR 167 is estimated at $1.9 billion.  Or, as one wag said, "Just a tunnel short of funding."

The TATS study was done to provide the documentation needed to address future transportation projects. The eight stakeholders* began meeting July 22 to consider prioritization and future action to be taken as a result of this study.

That PowerPoint and other info can be found at this weblink on the Port of Tacoma website.

• Washington State Department of Transportation
• Port of Tacoma
• City of Fife
• City of Tacoma
• SSA Marine
• Pierce County
• Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board
• Marine View Ventures

TATS and Pierce Transit at RAMP Today

RAMP attendees were treated to three presentations at RAMP this morning.

For a follow-up on the Update in the service reductions of Pierce Transit by Jessyn Ferrell, Pierce Transit, please go here.

For a follow-up on the final Tideflats Area Transportation Study report and a PPT presentation by Kell McAboy, Planner, Port of Tacoma, go to the links in this sentence.

Attendees were also treated to a briefing by Larry Ehl, Transportation Issues Daily and Allison Camden, Federal Relations Manager,WSDOT on the hoped for federal transportation act. 

• The House bill will have a focus on roads nd will have significant decreases for state budgets. The House bill is expected to create a 35% reduction from previous funding levels.  A Republican press conference is scheduled for tomorrow.
• The Senate's bi-partisan bill, limited to two years, will maintain current funding levels, but still would need $12 billion identified for funding.  Currently there is no proposal on how to make up that funding gap. 

 The next meeting for RAMP is September 7.

WA Truck Tracking Pilot Project

This morning, Barbara Ivanov, Co-director of WSDOT's Freight Systems Division, presented a briefing to the RAMP attendees about the Truck Tracking Pilot Project.

Begun by the Legislature in 2007, there is now two years of data in the central Puget Sound Region (King, Pierce, Snohomish, Kitsap) and nine months of data in the balance of the state.  The project uses GPS data from about 6,000 monitored trucks (1-2% of total truck traffic) to model the value statistics:  travel time.

Already, WSDOT is able to highlight a Top 10 Worst  highway stretches for central Puget Sound and the Top 10 Worst stretches for Washington state.  This info is promised for posting on DOT's website by the end of the contracted study period - June 2011.

RAMP Agenda: WSDOT Truck Tracking

 
WSDOT Truck Tracking Pilot Project
Barb Ivanov, Co-director of WSDOT’s Freight Systems Division

Sen. Murray's Transportation Protocol
Sean Murphy, Office of Sen. Parry Murray

Wednesday, April 6, 8:00 a.m.
Fabulich Center
3600 Port of Tacoma Road

TATS the Second Time

TATS Brown Bag

TATS (Tideflats Area Transportation Study), begins its public involvement opportunities with a Brown Bag Luncheon on Sept. 9 (see enclosed flyer). 

The TATS will examine conditions and ideitify roads to potential improvement to keep freight moving. This study is most important to the success of our economy as the port-industrial area is the heart of our economy. 

Please note that if you are unable to attend, the event will be hosted via the web.  For details on the webinar contact Kell McAboy. 

click on image for a large view

Tideflats Area Transportation Study

The Port of Tacoma has established a webpage for the Tideflats Area Transportation Study.

The Tideflats Area Transportation Study will identify future transportation needs for the growth of freight-related traffic to and from the Tacoma Tideflats area.  The study will analyze existing transportation conditions and identify roads to be examined for potential improvement to keep freight moving.

Overmatch of States' Dollars for Highways

Recovery Depends on Freight Infrastructure

The Washington State DOT Freight Systems Division has developed a document outlining Washington State's freight priorities.

The Washington State Freight Priorities folio defines how important Washington State's freight infrastructure is to the state economy; shows samples of statewide freight dependent businesses and how Washington’s distribution system is essential to local communities; and highlights priority statewide freight deficiency improvements and how they impact Washington manufacturers and farmers who rely on the transportation network to ship their products.


For more information on this document, or if you have questions, please contact freight@wsdot.wa.gov 

RAMP’s 2010 State Legislative Priorities

RAMP has developed a list of priorities for the 2010 State Legislature. RAMP’s complete brochure of legislative priorities is available on-line. Coalition partners are encouraged to promote these mutually beneficial projects during the upcoming legislative session.

Key priorities include:

Protect project funding as scheduled
All projects funded within Pierce County via the 2003 Nickel package, the 2005 Transportation Partnership package and the 2009 Recovery and Reinvestment Act must be completed as originally scheduled. Priority projects include:

· I-5 HOV lanes- Construct the funded portion of the I-5 HOV system from the King/Pierce County line to SR 512 and SR 16 to I-5
· SR 167- Complete right-of-way procurement for the full width of the SR 167 corridor including HOV lanes

Extend SR 167
Continue the progress on the SR 167 mega project by developing a comprehensive approach to fund the extension of SR 167 from Puyallup to SR 509 in Tacoma, similar to the process pursued for the SR 520 bridge replacement program.

Fund the second phase of the SR 167 tolling study. Incorporate conclusions from the first phase of the SR 167 tolling study to identify funds to fill the funding gap for design and construction of the extension.

Extend I-5 HOV lanes
· Update project scoping for the extension of the I-5 HOV lanes mega project from S. 38th St. to SR 512
· Begin preliminary project scoping for the extension of I-5 HOV lanes from SR 512 to the Pierce/Thurston County line. The addition of HOV lanes through this section of the I-5 corridor will help mitigate congestion related to Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Extend SR 167 HOT lanes
Begin preliminary scoping to extend HOV/HOT lanes to the current terminus of SR 167 in Puyallup.

Improve Local Revenue Sources
Strengthen and expand appropriate revenue sources to meet local transportation needs.

Support Flood Prevention
Contribute to Pierce County flood prevention plans and implementation efforts to protect primary freight and commute routes.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Sound Transit Parking Pricing Study

Starting this summer Sound Transit will engage in a 14-month analysis to identify, analyze, evaluate and recommend strategies to effectively manage increasing demand for parking at Sound Transit’s transit stations and park-and-ride facilities.

The parking pricing study will focus on the feasibility and implications of instituting parking charges along the South Sounder Commuter Rail Line between Tacoma and Seattle, as well as how charging for parking would integrate into the Agency’s the region’s priorities for transit system use and access.

The stations and park and ride facilities that will be reviewed in the analysis include: Kent, Auburn, Sumner, Tacoma Dome and possibly South Tacoma and Lakewood.

Review the scope of work and timeline for the analysis here.

Multi-Colored Thread Ties Community-Post

A quick look at the WSDOT traffic congestion map in the left column, for I-5 as it threads its way between Fort Lewis and the Lakewood-DuPont community often looks a remnant from Joseph's multi-colored coat.

However, it doesn't evoke envy.

At Wednesday's (11-05-08) regular meeting, RAMP looked at Lakewood's efforts to rescue this increasingly congested section of I-5 from the pit to which it has been cast. Melvin Austin, Chief of Base Security and Access Control shared with RAMP attendees the data on those going into the post. He was clear that his concerns were with security, not being a traffic engineer, but that he worked closely and cooperatively with WSDOT. And, he has similar concerns on post with the end-of-day exodus.

With the problem defined, Ellie Chambers-Grady and Dan Penrose, City of Lakewood, briefed RAMP attendees on the draft OEA (Office of Economic Adjustment)/Department of Defense grant they are preparing. (This grant application is the first of part of two components Lakewood is seeking, the second taking a comprehensive focus on community impacts from Ft. Lewis's growth.)


TRANSPORTATION PROPOSAL SCOPE

1. Transportation alternatives analysis


2. Operational traffic model
   assessment of current traffic conditions
   determine future transportation needs of the expected population increase
   determine short term and long term priorities within the study area
   identify resource needs and potential sources
   provide a coordinated action plan


3. Project will be coordinated with the assistance of Washington State DOT
   

Transportation Model Illustrates Benefits of SR-167 Completion

The Puget Sound Regional Council has completed some really innovative modeling that examines who benefits most from the completion of SR-167. This information was shared with Cambridge Systematics, the consulting firm examining freight infrastructure funding in Washington state. Cambridge shared this information with the Legislature's Joint Transportation Committee this week.

The first notable data point shared with the JTC is that 85.6 percent of the benefits (as measured by improved travel time, reliability and operating cost savings) would go to passenger vehicles. Light trucks would capture 10.9 percent of the benefit; medium trucks 2.3 percent; and heavy trucks 1.1 percent. In recent years, some have described the SR-167 extension as simply a project to benefit the Port of Tacoma. While it is true that the freeway provides a critical link for heavy trucks traveling between the Port's terminals on the Tideflats with the warehouses and distribution centers in the Kent Valley, what seems to be lost in the discussion is how this freeway would be an enormous boon for the average commuter.

This leads us to the second important data point: a completed SR-167 would reduce the average daily vehicle-hours of delay by about 5.1% in 2020. What makes this number impressive is that it measures improvement not just in the immediate area of the project, but throughout the entire four county area (Pierce, King, Snohomish and Kitsap counties). It would be interesting if the PSRC could narrow their focus to just the SR-167 and I-5 corridor in Pierce and south King counties to see how large this number might actually get.

Nonetheless, the PSCRC data is an important reminder for all of us that finishing SR-167, a project that has been left undone for decades, would greatly benefit the average driver in Pierce County.