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| June 2009 [pdf version] |
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Table of Contents
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We want to hear from you! Transportation 2040: DEIS Release and Public Comment Period When Transportation 2040 is adopted in 2010 it will signal a new direction for transportation investments in the central Puget Sound region. Regional transportation planning has come a long way from 2001, when Destination 2030 was first adopted. Hundreds of transportation projects have been completed, and many more are underway. Transportation 2040 is a chance to start fresh. The new transportation plan will set forth programs and projects to keep the region's people and freight moving while at the same time respond to pressing environmental concerns and contain a sustainable financial plan to take the region from the present to the year 2040. 
The Puget Sound Regional Council has released the Transportation 2040 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for public review and comment. The DEIS reviews environmental effects at a regional planning (non-project) level, concentrating on the long-term results of implementing six plan alternatives. These alternatives were developed in response to public comment received during scoping and through active engagement with regional leadership and the Puget Sound Regional Council's membership. Meet the Six AlternativesEach alternative contains varying levels of efficiency and strategic capacity programs with options for collecting and making financial investments. In particular, each action alternative considers the implications of user fees/tolling as a strategy to address congestion, the environment, and transportation finance. All the alternatives are based on the same population and employment growth forecasts as VISION 2040 and use 2006 as the base year for analysis. Each includes an identical set of core investments to improve safety and security and to support transportation options for special needs populations. Alternatives 1 through 5 include all the investments identified in the Baseline Alternative. Funding vs. Performance (in billions of 2008 dollars)
This alternative presents a business as usual option and includes projects and programs currently funded and slated for implementation. It focuses on "current law" and traditional revenue sources - gas tax, sales tax, state and federal grants and loans, local general fund revenues, permit and licensing fees, and limited tolling - and assumes that the region would find sufficient additional revenue to fully maintain and preserve the existing transportation system. Alternative 1 - Emphasize the Efficiency of the Existing System: This alternative focuses on efficiency improvements by making significant investments in programs to manage demand and in technology to manage roadways. This management strategy includes limited use of tolling by converting the existing High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) network to a High Occupancy Toll (HOT) system as well as a substantial increase in bus service. Alternative 2 - Emphasize Roadway and Transit Capacity Expansion: This alternative adds the most roadway capacity through lane additions to existing highways, the creation of new highways, and added lanes on the regional arterial network. It adds considerable new light rail capacity beyond Sound Transit 2, a new auto ferry route across Puget Sound, adds pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure in key locations, and establishes a two-lane HOT system on much of the regional freeway network. Alternative 3 - Toll Revenues to Expand Capacity and Improve Efficiency: Alternative 4 - Combine Traditional Revenues and Tolls to Maximize Efficiency: Alternative 5 - Reduce CO2 Emissions with Limited Highway Investments and Regional Tolling:  Alternatives 1-5 each show travel time benefits compared to the Baseline Alternative, with the biggest time savings improvements in Alternatives 3, 4, and 5. Top Issues in Developing Transportation 2040 Congestion and Mobility: Transportation 2040 aims to reduce congestion for all types of freight and person travel despite forecast growth in population and employment. Each action alternative provides mobility benefits. Environment: Transportation 2040 aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change and uses mitigation to reduce transportation impacts on water quality in central Puget Sound. Some alternatives reduce emissions. However, none bring CO2 emissions below 1990 levels. Sustainable Funding: Transportation 2040 must be a financially constrained plan. All of the alternatives keep transportation spending below 2% of regional personal income; however, each uses different sources of revenues and provides different performance results relative to funding sources. Emissions (percent change from 2040 Baseline, in annual tons of pollutants) This chart shows the estimated change in emissions in Alternatives 1-5 compared to the Baseline Alternative. Alternatives 3, 4, and 5 show reductions in Carbon Dioxide and Volatile Organic Compounds, Alternatives 4 and 5 show reductions in Carbon Monoxide, and only Alternative 5 is estimated to reduce Nitrogen Oxide and the Fine Particulates that cause haze. Costs of Alternatives by Program (in billions of 2008 dollars) 
This chart shows the different costs of each alternative. Revenue and Costs (in billions of 2008 dollars)  This chart shows current law funding levels in brown. The orange (other funding sources) includes traditional funding methods such as gas, motor vehicle excise and sales tax, and green is estimated toll revenue. Alternative 5 can potentially raise more revenue than is needed to fund the alternative. What's Next? The DEIS written comment period lasts through Monday, July 13, 2009. The public, regional leaders, stakeholders, community and interest groups, and local, state, and federal agencies are asked to submit comments that will inform the selection of a preferred alternative. PSRC encourages you to submit comments in writing about Transportation 2040 and the DEIS. Your comments will become part of the public record. Responses to written comments will be published in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). More InformationThe Transportation 2040 DEIS Executive Summary describes in an easy-to-read format the major components of the full DEIS. Highlights of the DEIS include detailed transportation system effects, an evaluation criteria based on the goals of VISION 2040 presented in a benefit-cost framework, and the complete environmental analysis. Request the DEIS on disc from the Information Center at 206-464-7532 or info@psrc.org. Find more information on the Transportation 2040 page. How to CommentEmail: transportation2040@psrc.org Fax: 206-587-4825 Mail: Sean Ardussi, 1011 Western Avenue, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98104-1035 Online: Online Comment Form Schedule a Presentation: Marina King, 206-389-2878 or mking@psrc.org Attend: the PSRC open house and courtesy hearing on July 9, 2009  Stephanson and Brown Elected to Lead the Puget Sound Regional Council; VISION 2040 Awards Honor Six Regional Achievements "The spirit of collaboration exemplified at the Puget Sound Regional Council is extremely vital to our success as a region in regards to local quality of life as well as global economic competitiveness," said Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson. "I'm pleased to be leading an organization that is focused on both. My sense is that this organization can help the region emerge stronger as the tight times fade." 
Mayor Stephanson chaired the PSRC's Operations Committee for the past two years. Under his leadership, PSRC and the Economic Development District have received clean audits with no findings. Stephanson has expertly guided the development of the FY 2010-2011 Budget and kept the agency foundation solid despite uncertainty in resources and economic conditions. Kitsap County Commissioner Josh Brown has served on PSRC's Transportation Policy Board since his election in 2006. Commissioner Brown recently chaired the Project Selection Task Force to help guide the policy direction for the distribution of PSRC's federal transportation funds. Six innovative projects that are helping to make the region's long-range growth, economic development, and transportation strategy a reality were also honored at the Puget Sound Regional Council's annual meeting. "VISION 2040 Award winners are on-the-ground efforts that are helping our region achieve its quality of life goals," said Seattle Councilmember Sally Clark, Chair of the Awards Selection Committee. "They guide the wiser use of our land and resources, generate prosperity, and provide choices for our citizenry." The 2009 VISION 2040 Award Winners are: Mountlake Terrace's Housing Choices Program is aimed at providing a variety of dwelling types in neighborhoods that have previously been solely large lot single family. Kitsap Telework brings together an online resource toolkit with participating private organizations to measure the effectiveness of telecommuting in terms of productivity, worker happiness, and the reduction of travel time and impacts. Port of Everett's Mount Baker Terminal is for efficient transport of oversized aerospace parts from the Port's deep water terminals, reducing an operation that used to require two hours of BNSF mainline shut down to just 15 minutes. Fife's Valley Road a key freight mobility project that will connect the industrial area to the Port of Tacoma and provide cross valley access with an impressive wildlife and environmental mitigation program. Artspace Hiawatha Lofts is a sustainably built mixed use building that provides 61 affordable live/work spaces for artists. South Seattle Community College's Georgetown Campus has been renovated to boost workforce development training in two of the region's high demand clusters: Clean Technology and Logistics and International Trade. Prosperity Partnership Brings Region Together Around Recovery
The website, prosperitypartnership.org/recovery.htm, is continually being updated with grant opportunities and deadlines, and contains a growing list of regional collaborative projects that are being submitted for funding. There are also two online opportunities for coordination, an ARRA Message Board and posts at the Prosperity Blog.  The coordination meetings are an opportunity to gain and share information, build collaborative partnerships and ensure lack of duplication of effort. Speakers have included representatives of federal agencies, state agencies and Washington's DC Delegation, and meetings provide time for funding-specific subgroups to coordinate project applications and funding possibilities. Additional meetings are also being organized to address specific opportunities and audiences. For more information, contact Eric Schinfeld at 206-971-3053 or eschinfeld@psrc.org. 
Region's Transit Ridership Outpaces National Trends During the last four years, transit ridership in the region grew a total of 23%, outpacing a strong national increase in transit ridership of 10%. This increase in transit ridership appears to be due to the large increase in gasoline prices; however, transit ridership was not affected when gas prices went down again, possibly because people found transit agreeable, spent less on their transportation needs, or because the economy was beginning to turn down. Transit ridership increased more than regional population, employment, transit service and highway usage by automobiles.  Sources: American Public Transportation Association Ridership Reports, Washington State Office of Financial Management, Washington State Employment Security Department, Washington State Department of Transportation Highway Performance Monitoring System Gasoline prices for the Seattle area were about $2.45 in June 2005, and rose to about $4.35 at the pump for a gallon of regular gas in June of 2008, after which it fell sharply to below $1.90 by the end of 2008 (seattlegasprices.com). The increase in regional transit ridership exceeded population growth of 5%, employment growth of 9% and transit service hours increase of 4% during the same four years (see Figure 1). Regional transit ridership grew 5% and 8% for 2006 and 2007, respectively, a greater increase than that of regional daily vehicle miles traveled, which grew about 1% for the same two years. Copies of the full version of this Trend are available on the web at psrc.org or from the Information Center at 206-464-7532 or info@psrc.org. For more information, contact Mark Charnews at 206-971-3285 or mcharnew@psrc.org. Ferry Ridership Declines Continue Ridership on the Washington State Ferries in the Puget Sound region decreased last year for the eighth time in nine years. The combined Puget Sound ferry ridership in 2008 was 20.4 million distributed over six auto-routes and one passenger-only route. This was about 730,000 fewer than 2007, a decrease of 3%. The map shows 2008 ridership broken down by route and by rider type. The Bainbridge Island-Seattle route served the most riders by far with over 6 million. Ed-monds-Kingston, Mukilteo-Clinton, Bainbridge-Seattle and Fauntleroy-Southworth-Vashon routes carried roughly the same amount of vehicles - between 1.7 and 2.1 million - but Bainbridge-Seattle had many more walk-ons. In fact, the Bainbridge-Seattle (approximately 3 million walk-ons) and Bremerton-Seattle (approximately 1.5 million walk-ons) routes represented almost 70% of all walk-ons since they link directly to the Seattle's central business district with its high employment density and connecting transit infrastructure. 
Copies of the full version of this Trend are available on the web at psrc.org or from the Information Center at 206-464-7532 or info@psrc.org. For more information, contact Kris Overby at 206-464-6661 or koverby@psrc.org.
Back Issues
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Over the past several months, the Prosperity Partnership has taken a role in helping our region to effectively compete for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds, highlighting multi-jurisdictional and cross-disciplinary efforts that not only create jobs and stimulate the economy, but also invest in projects that can have a long-term, transformative effect on our region. The Partnership has focused on a number of key competitive areas - Clean Energy, Workforce and Education, Broadband, Health IT, Aerospace and Housing - with two main forums: a clearinghouse website and regular coordination meetings.