The Executive Board recommended 122 priority transportation projects that meet a diverse set of needs for $502.4 million in PSRC funding to be distributed from 2008 to 2010.

The projects will be modeled for air quality conformity along with all of the other projects in the draft 2007-2010 Regional Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and submitted for a formal public review and comment period in September. The entire TIP, including the projects recommended for funding, will return to the Executive Board for final approval in October. The recommendation was based on four technical recommendation processes: two regional competitions, one for Surface Transportation Program (STP) and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) dollars and one for Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funds, as well as projects recommended by transportation forums in each of the counties and a direct allocation process for FTA funds. The complete list of projects is available online at psrc.org.

For more information, contact Karen Richter at 206-464-6343 or krichter@psrc.org.

The Executive Board welcomed Dan Mathis, Federal Highways Association (FHWA), and Rick Krochalis, Federal Transit Administration (FTA), for a report on the agency's successful certification review.

Under federal law, FHWA and FTA must jointly review and certify Metropolitan Planning Organizations, such as PSRC, on a periodic basis. Certification is essential to maintain the flow of federal transportation funds to the region. FHWA and FTA determined that the Puget Sound Regional Council meets the requirements of federal law and is functioning well. The agency received several compliments and no corrective actions during the review.

For more information, contact Robin Rock at 206-464-7091 or rrock@psrc.org.

In other business, the Executive Board: