Tomorrow, October 9th, the Washington State Senate will be hosting a listening session to hear the Tacoma-Pierce County's thoughts on transportation.
This past legislative session, RAMP partners clearly articulated the need for a transportation package in Olympia to finish uncompleted projects and maintain existing infrastructure. This was clearly heard by the State House as the passed a transportation package out. Unfortunately, the State Senate did not hear enough about the importance of critical transportation needs.
Tomorrow you can tell them.
Come urge the Senate Leadership to get the Transportation Revenue Funding Package approved in a November Special Session. This is too critical for our region for us not to be present. We cannot ignore the potential for 80,000 jobs.
State Senate Transportation Listening Session
October 9th, 2013
6:00pm-9:00pm
Evergreen Tacoma Campus
Lyceum Hall
1210 6th Ave.
Tacoma, WA 98405
Please feel free to email SR-167 Completion Coalition Mike Welch if you plan to attend or have questions.
Tuesday, October 08, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
10/2 RAMP 8AM
AGENDA - October
2, 2013
The Fabulich Center
8:00 Welcome & Self-Introductions
John
Wolfe, RAMP Co-Chair, Port of Tacoma CEO
8:05 Transportation in Washington
Lynn
Peterson, Secretary of Transportation
Washington State
Department of Transportation
8:25 Q&A on Washington Transportation
8:45 Round Robin
9:00 Closing Remarks & Adjourn
Tom Pierson, RAMP Co-Chair,
Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber President & CEO
Next RAMP Meeting
November 6th,
2013
Fabulich Center; 3600
Port of Tacoma Road; 98424
RAMP is a regional coalition including
business, labor, public and private organizations and citizens dedicated to
improved mobility in the South Sound and Washington State
Tuesday, September 03, 2013
9/4 RAMP 8AM
AGENDA - September
4, 2013
The Fabulich Center
8:00 Welcome & Self-Introductions
Tom
Pierson, RAMP Co-Chair, Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber President & CEO
8:05 Future of Transportation in the State Senate
Senator
Randi Becker, 2nd DistrictSenator Steve O’Ban, 28th District
8:35 New Transportation Package
Tom Pierson, RAMP Co-Chair,
Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber President & CEO
8:45 Pierce Transit Updates
Justin
Leighton, Pierce Transit
8:55 Round Robin
9:00 Closing Remarks & Adjourn
Pat McCarthy, RAMP
Co-Chair, Pierce County Executive
Next RAMP Meeting
October 2nd,
2013Fabulich Center; 3600 Port of Tacoma Road; 98424
RAMP is a regional coalition including business, labor, public and private organizations and citizens dedicated to improved mobility in the South Sound and
Monday, June 24, 2013
I-5 South 38th Street Exit to Open Early
Good news for Tacoma area motorists—the new I-5 South 38th Street exit is set to open early. Currently, the 38th Street exit, which provides access to the Tacoma Mall and is a part of the I-5/SR 16 Eastbound Nalley Valley project, is closed to traffic. The new ramp, which was originally scheduled to open the end of next month, will now open early due to, “Good weather, detailed planning and rapid progress” (Baker, 2013, para. 2).
In a press release last week, Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) said the exit could reopen as early as Tuesday, but noted that “a dry night for roadway striping is necessary to tie the new ramp into the highway” (para. 5). The recent rain in the area may briefly postpone the early reopening.
For more updates and information on this project, visit WSDOT’s website.
References
Baker, C. B. (2013). New I-5 exit to South 38th St. opens five weeks early. Olympia, WA: WSDOT.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
June RAMP Recap
The Puget Sound Gateway Project was a major theme of June’s RAMP meeting. Port of Seattle Commissioner John Creighton, John White of WSDOT, and Tom Gut from the City of SeaTac presented, noting how Ports connect statewide, national, and international markets to people, jobs, and the economy.
Creighton, White, and Gut described Washington as “one of the most trade-dependent states in the nation, noting that “In 2010, freight dependent industries shipped $128.8 billion in domestic product and supported nearly 1.5 million freight-dependent jobs in Washington.”
Completing State Route 167 and 509 would expand infrastructure critical to maintaining and growing port business, as well as sustaining and growing Washington State’s freight dependent industries.
Let’s finish what we’ve started and invest in the future!
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Funding for 167 Still Alive
Senator Curtis King (R- Yakima), Co-Chairman of the Republican Senate Transportation Committee, prepared a transportation revenue package that allocates $1.53 billion toward completing State Route 167 and 509, a major priority for the Tacoma- Pierce County Chamber. King’s preparation of the package signifies that the resolve to complete 167 is still alive in the legislature and could pass in a second special session.
Additional Pierce County projects King’s transportation package funds include $350 million for I-5 JBLM corridor improvements and $55 million for I-5/ SR 512 Lakewood interchange improvements.
Revenue would be raised by a 10 ½ cent gas tax and an increase in vehicle weight fees.
Monday, June 03, 2013
6/5 RAMP 8AM
 |
AGENDA - June 5, 2013
The Fabulich Center
8:00 Welcome & Self-Introductions
Pat McCarthy, RAMP Co-Chair, Pierce County Executive
8:05 Federal Transportation Planning and Funding
Charlie Howard, Puget Sound Regional Council
8:25 Puget Sound Gateway Project: SR-509
John Creighton, Port of Seattle
John White, WSDOT
Tom Gut, City of SeaTac
Doug Levy, City of Kent
8:45 Round Robin
Legislative Update
9:00 Closing Remarks & Adjourn
Tom Pierson, RAMP Co-Chair, Tacoma-Pierce County
Next RAMP Meeting
TBD
Remember to visit On RAMP
The partnership’s blog is at http://on-ramp.blogspot.com/. New content appears on a regular basis. Guest blog postings are encouraged, contact David Schroedel for details, Davids@tacomachamber.org.
RAMP is a regional coalition including business, labor, public and private organizations and citizens dedicated to improved mobility in the South Sound and Washington State Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy, Port of Tacoma CEO John Wolfe and Tacoma-Pierce County
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
RAMP Legislative Priority Gains Big Support Across the State
Groups from across the State of Washington came together yesterday in a strong show of support for the proposed Transportation Investment Package. Democrats, Republicans and leaders from business, labor, ports and local government were all represented at the rally in Olympia.The event was emceed by the Mayor of Auburn, Pete Lewis, who introduced speakers including Governor Jay Inslee, Congressman Denny Heck, State Senator Tracy Eide, State Representative Judy Clibborn, State Representative Hans Zeiger and State Representative Dave Upthegrove. Local government officials also spoke in support of the package, as did representatives from business, labor and local ports.
Congressman Heck summarized the theme of the rally when he stated, “We can’t let politics get in the way of this transportation package. Our state needs a modern infrastructure to compete in the 21st-century global economy. Thousands of family-wage jobs are at stake. The time to act is now.”
In taking a look at the crowd on the steps, Scott Mason President ILWU Local 23 observed that, “Usually you would see just labor, or business. What I see here are all factions of our statewide economic base turning out to support a single idea; invest in our transportation system now or our State will be quickly outcompeted both domestically and worldwide in the movement of goods around the globe. There are no more excuses – pass the Transportation Revenue Package this session.”
In Washington State, four out of every ten jobs are trade dependent. It’s for this reason that so many disparate groups came together today to show that there is no time to waste on modernizing our infrastructure for 21st-century global trade. Our leaders in Olympia must act now and vote to approve the Transportation Revenue Package.
Transportation Funding Rally May 20, 2013 Media Coverage
Thursday, May 16:
Business Examiner - http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/May-2013/Pierce-Chamber-to-join-transportation-package-rally/
Seattle Times (Editorial) - http://seattletimes.com/html/editorials/2021001198_edittransportationxml.html
Sunday, May 19:
News Tribune - http://m.thenewstribune.com/newstrib/db_108680/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=1OB7kY3l
Monday, May 20:
News Tribune - http://blog.thenewstribune.com/politics/2013/05/20/morning-update-special-session-day-8-2/
Business Examiner - http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/May-2013/Capital-steps-rally-backs-Transport-funding/
Seattle Times - http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2021023827_apwaxgrtransportationrally3rdldwritethru.html?prmid=obinsource
KING 5 - http://www.king5.com/news/politics/Despite-rally-for-transportation-package-I-5-bridge-remains-a-concern-208231511.html
KIRO 7:
• http://www.kirotv.com/ap/ap/legislative/inslee-speaks-at-transportation-revenue-rally/nXxTb/
• http://www.kirotv.com/ap/ap/washington/inslee-speaks-at-transportation-revenue-rally/psLLb/
• http://www.kirotv.com/ap/ap/washington/inslee-speaks-at-transportation-revenue-rally/psLLd/
• http://www.kirotv.com/ap/ap/washington/inslee-speaks-at-transportation-revenue-rally/psLLX/
• http://www.kirotv.com/ap/ap/washington/inslee-speaks-at-transportation-revenue-rally/psLLY/
• http://www.kirotv.com/ap/ap/washington/inslee-speaks-at-transportation-revenue-rally/psLLZ/
• http://www.kirotv.com/ap/ap/washington/inslee-speaks-at-transportation-revenue-rally/psLLc/
Q13 Fox - http://q13fox.com/2013/05/20/inslee-if-you-want-roads-bridges-repaired-raise-the-gas-tax/#axzz2TwukLMVR
Kitsap Sun - http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2013/may/20/inslee-speaks-at-transportation-revenue-rally/#axzz2Twtnxz6E
Wenatchee World Online - http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2013/may/20/inslee-signs-87-billion-transportation-budget/
Spokesman Review -http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/spincontrol/2013/may/20/inslee-vetoes-part-transportation-budget/
Westport News - http://www.westport-news.com/news/article/Inslee-signs-transportation-budget-4532425.php
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Tacoma Amtrak Station Relocation
The past few months local officials, concerned citizens, business representatives, and other key stakeholders came together to form a Citizen Advisory Committee and reviewed a proposal by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) that would relocate Tacoma’s Amtrak train station, currently located at 1001 Puyallup Avenue, to the Freighthouse Square mixed –use retail facility at 25-1 East “D” Street.
The relocation of the station is due to the Point Defiance Bypass Project, which will reroute passenger trains to an existing rail line along the west side of I-5 through south Tacoma, Lakewood, and DuPont.
The Committee developed 25 initial recommendations that were organized into four broad categories consistent with the long-term goals of the Dome District where the current and future station is located. These recommendations were then shortened and prioritized.
The most significant recommendation was related to the “blockage of East “C” and East “D” streets by trains, train-related safety gates, safety arms, or signaling devices that occur when trains are passing in order to improve pedestrian and vehicular north-south circulation throughout the district.”
The Committee noted that WSDOT’s current proposal of relocating the Amtrak train station to Freighthouse Square would result in these streets being blocked for a longer period of time than currently, because of the increased length of the Amtrak trains. Tacoma City Councilman David Boe also pointed out critical safety issues related to this recommendation, since increased wait times may entice impatient drivers and pedestrians to go around safety gates and related devices.
The Committee recommends placing the station platform onto the trestle to the east. The current Tacoma Trestle is a 100 year old, wooden, single-track trestle leading up to Freighthouse Square. The aging trestle needs to be replaced with a new concrete double track structure anyway, adding weight to the Committee’s recommendation to build the platform on the trestle.
In addition, the Committee noted the importance of having the Amtrak station located in Tacoma and the Dome District, creating a transit hub and making it easy for travelers to visit downtown Tacoma, UWT, the Glass Museum, and other key places.
Other Committee recommendations were related to noise, parking, traffic circulation, urban and station design, and can be found in the City’s website.
167 Goes All the Way to Washington, D.C.
Momentum continues to build in support of completing State Route 167 as a Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce delegation visited policymakers in the other Washington last week.
Chamber members met with numerous officials, including several members of Congress such as Congressmen Dave Reichert, Adam Smith, and Denny Heck, as well as Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell. During the trip Chamber members and policymakers discussed the significance of completing SR 167 on a local, state, and national level.
For more on information on the trip or the project, visit the Port of Tacoma’s blog.
Chamber members met with numerous officials, including several members of Congress such as Congressmen Dave Reichert, Adam Smith, and Denny Heck, as well as Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell. During the trip Chamber members and policymakers discussed the significance of completing SR 167 on a local, state, and national level.
For more on information on the trip or the project, visit the Port of Tacoma’s blog.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
RAMP 5/1 8AM
AGENDA - May 1, 2013
La Quinta Inn & Suites
1425 E 27th St, Tacoma, WA 98421
(off Portland Ave near the Tacoma Dome)
8:00 Welcome, Self-Introductions & RAMP Priorities
Tom Pierson, Co-Chair, Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber President & CEO
8:10 SR-167 Redesign
Brian Ziegler, Public Works Director, Pierce County
8:20 Legislative Update
Sean Eagan, Government Affairs Director, Port of Tacoma
8:30 The Alaska Link Between Transportation and Development
Rachael Petro, President/CEO, Alaska Chamber
Kara Moriarty, Executive Director, Alaska Oil and Gas Association
Deantha Crockett, Executive Director, Alaska Miners Association
Kim Reitmeier, Executive Director, ANCSA Regional Association
Cory Baggen, Assistant Vice President, Samson Tug & Barge
9:00 Closing Remarks & Adjourn
Pat McCarthy, Co-Chair, Pierce County Executive
Next RAMP Meeting
Wednesday, June 5th @ Fabulich Building
RAMP is a regional coalition including business, labor, public and private organizations and citizens dedicated to improved mobility in the South Sound and Washington State. Our mission is to ensure a healthy regional economy associated with the development of an effective, efficient transportation system and the resources to sustain it. RAMP is co-chaired by Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy, Port of Tacoma CEO John Wolfe and Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber President & CEO Tom Pierson.
Tuesday, April 02, 2013
RAMP 4/3 @ 8AM
AGENDA - April 3, 2013
The Fabulich Center
8:00 Welcome & Self-Introductions
Pat McCarthy, RAMP Co-Chair, Pierce County Executive
8:05 Pierce County
Claudia Bingham-Baker, WSDOT
8:25 Sound Transit Tacoma
Chelsea Levy, Sound Transit
8:45 Round Robin
9:00 Closing Remarks & Adjourn
John Wolfe, RAMP Co-Chair, Port of Tacoma CEO
Wednesday, May 1st – Regional Transportation Developments
Alternate Location: La Quinta Inn & Suites
(off Portland Ave
Remember to visit On RAMP
The partnership’s blog is at http://on-ramp.blogspot.com/. New content appears on a regular basis. Guest blog postings are encouraged, contact David Schroedel for details, Davids@tacomachamber.org.
RAMP is a regional coalition including business, labor, public and private organizations and citizens dedicated to improved mobility in the South Sound and Washington State Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy, Port of Tacoma CEO John Wolfe and Tacoma-Pierce County
Monday, March 11, 2013
March RAMP Meeting Recap
On March 6, 2013, 60 people joined RAMP to hear presentations on the Point Defiance Bypass Rail Project and the Washington State House transportation proposal.
The Point Defiance Bypass Project will reroute passenger trains to a rail line along the Westside of I-5 through south Tacoma, Lakewood, and DuPont, upgrading tracks, laying new tracks, updating safety equipment, and creating a new Amtrak station in Tacoma. This will allow two additional round trips between Seattle and Portland and improve on-time performance. The Federal Road Administration (FRA) recently issued a Finding of No Significance Impact (FONSI), moving the project forward. Construction is set to begin in 2015 and service in 2017.
The 2013 Washington State House transportation package, Connecting Washington, outlines several transportation projects and revenue sources that amount to about $10 billion and 56,000 jobs over ten years. State Route 167 combined with SR 509 are at the top of the project list, although they were slated for significantly less funding than what is required to finish the projects.
Stay tuned to the RAMP blog for next month's meeting on Wednesday, April 3.
Monday, March 04, 2013
RAMP 3/6 @ 8 AM
AGENDA - March 6, 2013
The Fabulich Center
3600 Port of Tacoma Road; 98424
8:00 Welcome & Self-Introductions
Tom Pierson, Co-Chair, Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber President & CEO
8:05 Point Defiance Bypass Rail Project
David Smelser, Cascades High Speed Rail Program Manager
Carol Lee Roalkvam, WSDOT Environmental Policy Branch Manager
8:25 Washington State Legislature House Transportation Proposal
Michael Shaw, Lobbyist, Pierce County Government
Michael Transue, Lobbyist, TPCC
8:45 Round Robin
9:00 Closing Remarks & Adjourn
Pat McCarthy, Co-Chair, Pierce County Executive
Next RAMP Meeting
Wednesday, April 3rd – Details TBD
RAMP is a regional coalition including business, labor, public and private organizations and citizens dedicated to improved mobility in the South Sound and Washington State Port of Tacoma CEO John Wolfe
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Pierce County Legislators Present Transportation Bills in Olympia
Transportation is a hot topic this state legislative session and particularly important to Pierce County
At a House Transportation Committee hearing yesterday, two different bills were presented by Pierce County
Last fall, the Tacoma City Council used this authority to increase the car tab fee to the maximum allowed $20. Tacoma City Councilman Ryan Mello testified yesterday that raising the car tab fee limit to $40 is crucial to meet the city’s transportation infrastructure needs. Currently, car tab fees may be raised to up to $100 per vehicle with a public vote of support, $20 without.
Another Pierce County
Additionally, HB 1865, which would allow the elected, governing body of an area to impose a sales tax of up to 0.9 percent without a public vote of support, was also introduced. According to the bill, the sales tax would be approved by a weighted majority vote of the governing body, if the entire population of the district was represented by elected officials serving on the board and voting on the resolution. This bill would allow entities, such as Pierce Transit, to increase sales taxes without a public vote, but only if changes were made that connect board member votes to corresponding population.
You may recall last fall the Pierce Transit sales tax increase of 0.03 percent was opposed by voters.
For more information on these bills, see The News Tribune.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
House Democrats Transportation Revenue Package Leaves 167 Underfunded
On Wednesday, Representative Judy Clibborn (D- Mercer Island), chairwoman of the House Transportation Committee, introduced a transportation revenue package worth $9.8 billion.
Revenue would be generated from several different areas, including a 10 cent increase in the gas tax, a new annual car registration fee at 0.7 percent of the vehicle’s value, $3 million in new bonds, as well as a $25 fee on bicycles sold for $500 or more. There would also be a 0.3 percent increase in the hazardous substance tax, $5 for vehicle tab renewals, and $12 for title transfers.
While the package included resources for the completion of State Route 167, the project was notably underfunded at $1 billion for both SR 167 and SR 509. SR 167 is estimated at costing $1.5 billion to complete, while low estimates for SR 509 aim towards $300 million.
In order for the package to be passed into law, any new taxes would require a two-thirds vote in both chambers of the legislature or simple majorities in both houses followed by a vote of the people.
Wednesday, February 06, 2013
Transportation Infrastructure in WA
A new Association of Washington Business (AWB) transportation report highlights employer concerns about
transportation.
Aging infrastructure,
bottlenecks at key ports and continued concerns about the financing of future
projects are just a few of the top transportation worries for Washington state
employers. That’s according to a new report published today by AWB, issued today during AWB’s 2013 Legislative Day in
Olympia.
“In many ways, transportation is
the lifeblood of our economy. We rely on our bridges, roadways, water, rail and
airways to move people, goods and services on a daily basis. Any delays can
have big economic impacts for business and our overall competitiveness as a
state,” said AWB President Don Brunell.
The report captures the findings
of focus groups held with purchasers and suppliers of transportation and
logistics services around the state in the fall of 2012. AWB member companies
were invited to share their thoughts, ideas and concerns about the economic,
regulatory and workforce challenges faced by their industry. Sessions were held
in Moses Lake, Spokane, the Tri-Cities, Vancouver, Renton, Seattle, Bremerton,
Yakima and Mount Vernon.
“Transportation infrastructure
is a critical piece in building a strong economy and providing jobs,” said Mike
Ennis, AWB government affairs director for transportation policy. “Traffic
congestion, choke points, and crumbling roads create risk, drive up costs and
act as a drag on the economy. It’s clear from this report and other feedback
we’ve received from our members that the current transportation revenue streams
are not adequate,” said Ennis.
“This session, we are working
closely with lawmakers and other key stakeholders to find solutions that will
preserve the projects currently in place and prioritize those next in the
queue.”
Among the report’s key findings:
·
Infrastructure Needs: Several transportation projects have
been identified in the state that are critical to business growth, including
the North South Freeway in Spokane; completion of State Routes 520 in Seattle
and 167 in south King and north Pierce counties; and the Columbia River
Crossing in Vancouver.
·
Funding: There is a lack of maintenance and
operation funding for existing transportation infrastructure and the decline in
the purchasing power of gas tax revenue has put new projects in jeopardy.
·
Overregulation: Overregulation for the transportation and
logistics industry makes it difficult to provide efficient services to business.
·
Environmental Mitigation: Costs of
environmental mitigation studies and programs are redundant leading to
increased project costs and long delays in project completion.
·
Port Bottlenecks: Bottlenecks at the Port of Seattle
continue to frustrate efforts to get goods to market in a timely manner.
·
Workforce Needs: The combination of an aging workforce and a
dwindling pipeline of new workers is threatening the viability of the
transportation industry.
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