March 8, 2012

The Transportation Policy Board discussed draft evaluation measures for the prioritization method to be included in the 2014 update of Transportation 2040.

In February, the Prioritization Working Group resumed its work with a focus on defining the evaluation measures. Draft evaluation measures being considered include: Support for Centers, Jobs, Freight, Travel/Multimodal, Safety, Equity, Air Quality, and Puget Sound Land and Water. In addition to incorporating the policy direction to implement the prioritization work, the 2014 update of Transportation 2040 will review and evaluate the plan's financial strategy, examine changed conditions since 2010, and include updated plans for special needs and non-motorized transportation. Watch the discussion or view the presentation.

For more information, contact Robin Mayhew at 206-464-7537, rmayhew@psrc.org.

The Transportation Policy Board received information on the financial strategy for the 2014 update of Transportation 2040.

The data used to develop Transportation 2040 was from 2006.  Since then, the economic downturn has affected transportation revenues available to the Washington State Department of Transportation, cities, counties and transportation providers, who have been forced to delay or cancel projects and services. A subcommittee of the Transportation Policy Board, the Pricing Task Force, will be the primary group responsible for guiding the development of the Transportation 2040 financial strategy update. Watch the discussion or view the presentation.

For more information, contact Benjamin Brackett at 206-971-3280, bbrackett@psrc.org.

The Transportation Policy Board was briefed on a request from the Washington State Department of Transportation and other local jurisdictions to update their projects in Transportation 2040.

A significant share of the proposed changes incorporate new strategies proposed along Interstate 5 near Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Documentation on the projects submitted for amendment will be presented to PSRC boards for action in April, with General Assembly adoption in May 2012.

For more information, contact Kimberly Scrivner at 206-971-3281, kscrivner@psrc.org.  

In other business, the Transportation Policy Board:

• Recommended approval of a routine amendment to the Transportation Improvement Program.
• Recommended to the Executive Board that external transit agencies that provide service to, and report data in, the PSRC region receive that portion of PSRC's Federal Transit Administration funds earned from that service.
• Recommended the Executive Board authorize a change in project status to "Approved" for two Transportation 2040 projects:  SR 522 - West City Limits to NE 180^th Street and SR 527/Bothell-Everett Highway - 240^th Street SE to 228^th Street SE.
• Recommended the Executive Board certify transportation-related provisions in the comprehensive plans and updates for DuPont, Federal Way and Woodinville.
• Heard an update on PSRC's supplemental biennial budget and work program for FY 2012-2013.
• Received a project tracking report on the City of Tacoma's Puyallup River Bridge.

The Growth Management Policy Board recommended that the Executive Board adopt the Regional Allocation of Transferable Development Rights.

The Landscape Conservation and Local Infrastructure Program, established in 2011, provides new financing tools for cities that accept development rights from natural resource areas.  Initial steps in the program require King, Pierce, and Snohomish to calculate available transferable development rights (TDRs) and PSRC to regionally allocate the total number of TDRs to cities eligible to receive them.  Watch the discussion.

For more information, contact Ivan Miller at 206-464-7549, imiller@psrc.org.

The Growth Management Policy Board directed PSRC staff to move forward with the VISION 2040 monitoring program.

Using available data and analysis, the monitoring program will track a series of measures on a regular basis to evaluate how well the region is achieving key policy objectives established in VISION 2040. The program is envisioned as an entirely online resource that maximizes flexibility and allows different components to be updated as new data sources become available.  Watch the discussion.

For more information, contact Carol Naito at 206-464-7535, cnaito@psrc.org.

In other business, the Growth Management Policy Board:

• Recommended the Executive Board certify transportation-related provisions in the comprehensive plans and updates for DuPont, Federal Way and Woodinville.
• Heard an update on PSRC's supplemental biennial budget and work program for FY 2012-2013.
• Was briefed on the Economic Development District's update of the Regional Economic Strategy for 2012-2017.
• Heard a status report on the 2014 update of Transportation 2040, including an update on prioritization work.
• Received information on an ongoing effort to develop a Regional Open Space Strategy, headed by the University of Washington's Green Futures Lab.