April 29, 2004
Fr: Kjristine
Lund, Executive Director
Re: RTID
Plan Report
The
Executive Committee shall formulate a regional transportation investment plan
subject to approval by the full Planning Committee. The plan to be submitted to
the voters must propose the creation of the regional transportation investment RTID district
(RTID) and it must
include specific projects for construction that will improve mobility within
each county.
The plan must include identification of
proposed revenue sources as well as a financial plan. The Plan submitted to the voters must provide cost estimates for
each project, including reasonable contingency costs.
The Planning Committee may consider these
factors in formulating its plan:
§
Land use planning criteria
§
Input of Cities
§
Input of RTPO
The Planning Committee shall consider the
following criteria for selecting transportation projects to improve corridor
performance:
§
Reduce level of congestion and improve safety
§
Improve travel time
§
Improve air quality
§
Increase in daily and peak period person and
vehicle trip capacity
§
Reduction in person and vehicle delay
§
Improved freight mobility
§
Cost-effectiveness
The Planning Committee shall conduct public
meetings to assure active participation in development of the plan. Once adopted by the Planning Committee, the
plan must be forwarded to the participating county legislative authorities to
initiate the election process.
At the option of the Planning Committee, and
with explicit approval of the Regional Transit Authority (referred to generically as RTA, but known in the Puget Sound region as Sound Transit), the
participating counties may choose to impose any remaining high capacity transportation (HCT) taxes that have not
otherwise been used by the Sound
Transit RTA and submit to the voters a
“common” ballot measure that creates the district, approves the regional
transportation investment plan, implements the taxes, and implements any
remaining HCT within the boundaries of the RTID.
Collection and expenditure of any HCT taxes
implemented under this section must be determined by agreement between the
participating counties or district and the RTA electing to submit HCT taxes to
the voters.
The amounts displayed below
represent the estimated funding level, including bond proceeds available from revenue generated by the proposed tax sources. Individual funding levels for each funding source assumes state
bonding. Funding levels vary depending on the
timing and cash flow associated with the project implementation schedule.
|
Tax
(in billions) Over
15 years |
District
wide |
King
|
Pierce |
Snohomish |
|
0.2% roads sales tax |
|
2.4 |
0. |
0.7 |
|
$75 license fee |
3. |
1.9 |
1. |
0.8 |
|
Local option gas tax at 2.8 cents |
1. |
0.6 |
0.3 |
0.2 |
|
0.3% MVET |
1. |
1. |
0.4 |
0.3 |
|
0.1% RTA tax transfer |
|
1.2 |
0. |
0.3 |
|
Total
(with
state bonding) |
12. |
7. |
|
2. |
Sound Transit will provide a list of proposed
investments by May 27, 2004, should they vote to proceed with a common
ballot. For purposes of moving forward
with the draft plan, the Sound Transit investments are place-holders in this
plan for Sound Move eligible projects.
Pierce County’s proposed Regional
Transportation Investment District (RTID) project list has two primary goals:
The first goal is illustrated by major RTID
investments on I-5 and SR 167, two of Pierce County’s principal transportation
corridors. Significant investments are
proposed for both highways.
·
Interstate 5 – The state transportation
package provides for adding HOV lanes to I-5 in two key locations. Improvements will be made in the vicinity of
the I-5/SR 16 Interchange and also between the Port of Tacoma Interchange and the
Pierce/King County line. This does, however,
leave two major gaps in the HOV system between SR 16 and the county line. RTID proposes to fill in those missing
pierces.
The
first project provides for a realignment of I-5 and a new interchange between
I-5 and SR 16 with freeway to freeway HOV connections. This project also improves the Nalley-Valley
Viaduct portion of SR 16 connecting to the portion of SR 16 that has been
widened by the state.
The
second project fills in the gap between Pacific Ave. and the Port of Tacoma
Interchange. It includes the
reconstruction of all the interchanges within these project limits.
Once
these two RTID projects and the state funded projects are completed, Pierce
County will have continuous HOV lanes on I-5 from the county line to SR 16 and
on SR 16 from I-5 to Gig Harbor.
·
SR 167
Extension – This project has long been one of Pierce County’s highest
priorities. It is both a congestion
relief project and a major fright mobility project. The improvement is proposed in two phases. The first connects the Port of Tacoma to I-5
with a new four lane connection including a new major interchange with
I-5. The second phase provides a new
four lane freeway from I-5 to Puyallup.
§
Other important improvements in Pierce County
include construction of the Cross Base Highway which will connect I-5 with the
central portion of Pierce County, capacity improvements to SR 162 from SR 167
south to Orting, providing capacity improvements on the Key Peninsula by
realigning and widening SR 302, adding HOV lanes to the existing north-south
portion of SR 167 between Sumner and Auburn, and making improvements to local
roadways in the South Hill area and in the Frederickson vicinity.
|
PIERCE COUNTY PROJECTS |
RTID COST |
|
I-5 Improvements |
$432.7M |
|
SR 167 Improvements |
$1,650.7M |
|
Other State Highways |
$603.6M |
|
Other Local Roads |
$60.7M |
|
Subtotal |
2,747.7M |
|
Sound Transit Projects |
100
to 450M |
|
Total Investment Level |
Up to $2,800M |
KING
COUNTY
King County’s proposed Regional Transportation
Investment District (RTID) project list focuses on major interstate and state
highway corridors. Major investments
are proposed in the following five corridors.
Alaskan
Way Viaduct (SR 99) & Seawall Project – This
project will construct a new six-lane facility between Holgate Street and the
Battery Street Tunnel to replace the existing seismically-vulnerable
structure. The new facility will add
expanded roadway shoulders and wider lanes.
The RTID investment will fund the most critical southern phase of the
project from Holgate Street to King Street, including ground improvements, and
make fire and life safety improvements to the Battery Street Tunnel. Additional state, federal, and local funding
will be required to complete the project.
SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV
Project -- This project's cost estimate assumes
replacing the existing bridge with a new 6-lane facility (2 general-purpose
lanes and 1 HOV lane in each direction).
The RTID investment will replace the seismic and storm-vulnerable Evergreen
Point Floating Bridge and its approaches.
The new bridge will also add expanded roadway shoulders and bicycle/
pedestrian lanes. Additional state
funding (to be determined) will complete the HOV lanes between Montlake
Boulevard and the vicinity of Bellevue Way.
I-405
Congestion Relief and Transit Projects – These projects
relieve congestion on the I-405 corridor by adding capacity, improving safety,
and investing in transit. The project
improves 22 miles of interstate 405 between Tukwila and Bothell. Roadway improvements include two lanes added
in each direction from downtown Bellevue south to SR 167 in Renton and related
interchange improvements. One lane
will be added each direction from the I-405/SR 167 interchange south on SR 167
to 180th Street and west to I-5. One
lane will also be added north from the SR 520 in Bellevue to SR 522 in
Bothell. The project will include
transit in-line stations, HOV direct access ramps, park-and-ride lot expansion,
and the purchase of both vanpools and buses.
In addition, bike trails and pedestrian connections will be built, and
significant stream and environmental enhancements will be made. Project description above describes $2.5M
RTID investment plus $500M State-Nickel plus $200M federal dollars.
I-5/
SR 509 Freight Mobility and Congestion Relief Project
– This project will help relieve I-5 congestion and help freight move in south
King County by completing SR 509 as a six-lane freeway with HOV lanes between
Interstate 5 and S. 188th Street in SeaTac. This project will also construct 6 miles of
improvements on Interstate 5 from S. 320th in Federal Way to South
200th and connects SeaTac International Airport's South Access
Expressway to SR 509 and Interstate 5.
Dramatic water quality improvements will occur in the Des Moines Creek
Basin. The RTID investment coupled with
state funding from the nickel package completes this project.
SR
167 Valley Freeway Freight Mobility and Congestion Relief Projects
-- This project addresses congestion on SR 167 between S 180th St in Renton and
the vicinity of the King/Pierce County line.
The RTID investment completes HOV
lanes from Auburn to the county line (see
matching HOV improvements in Pierce County) and addresses congestion hotspots
in Kent and Auburn.
The I-5/SR 18 “Triangle” Interchange will be
improved by adding two freeway to freeway ramp connections and a west-side
frontage road directly connecting I-5 to SR 161. In Shoreline and north Seattle, improvements will be made to SR
99 that will help facilitate transit and pedestrian travel.
KING COUNTY PROJECTS
|
RTID COST
|
|
Alaskan Way Viaduct |
$1,000M |
|
SR 520 Corridor* |
$1,000M |
|
I-405 Corridor* |
$1,900M |
|
I-405/167 Interchange |
$820
M |
|
SR 509/I-5 Investments |
$900M |
|
SR 167 Corridor |
$500M |
|
I-5/SR 18 Interchange |
$100M |
|
SR 518 |
$35M |
|
Non-HSS Projects |
$20M |
|
Subtotal |
$6,275M |
|
Light Rail |
$875M |
|
SR 99 North Corridor |
$80M |
|
SR 522 Transit Investments |
$60
M |
|
TOTAL |
Up to $7,290M |
*assumes up to $180M in eligible Sound Transit
investments in corridor
Snohomish County’s proposed Regional
Transportation Investment District (RTID) project list focuses the majority of
the funds on major state highway corridors while still making significant
investments in local roads and in transit related improvements. Major state highway corridors that will be
improved with RTID revenues include:
Interstate
5 – The I-5 corridor is the beneficiary of a major HOV
widening project from the state transportation package (“nickel projects”)
passed by the 2003 state legislature.
The RTID projects in the I-5 corridor compliment the HOV widening by
improving seven interchanges, including the 41st Street Interchange
in Everett. The other six interchange
improvement projects stretch from Lynnwood to Arlington.
SR
9 – Here, proposed RTID investments also compliment those
from the 2003 state transportation package.
The state investment will widen SR 9 from SR 522 to 176th
Street SE. The RTID investment will
continue the five lane widening from 176th Street SE north to SR
92. Also, between SR 92 and SR 530 in
Arlington, improvements at major intersections are proposed.
US
2 – The US 2 Trestle is a choke point between residential
areas to the east and employment centers to the west of the Snohomish
River. The RTID proposal is to add one
eastbound lane to the US 2 Trestle and to provide interchange improvements at
I-5 and at SR 204.
Additionally, a major improvement is proposed
in the Sultan vicinity that will widen US 2 to five lanes, provide bicycle
lanes, and replace two aging bridges.
SR
522 – This is another proposed RTID investment
that directly compliments a major widening project funded by the state. Fairly recently, the state completed
widening of SR 522 east to Paradise Lake Road.
The state transportation package includes a major widening project on SR
522 between the Snohomish River and US 2.
This leaves a gap in the corridor improvements between Paradise Lake
Road and the Snohomish River. RTID
proposes to fill that gap creating a four lane median divided highway from
Bothell to Monroe.
Other
State Highway Improvements – Improvements are proposed on several
other state highways including SR 92 (Granite Falls Bypass and other
intersection improvements), SR 99, SR 524, SR 531 and SR 532.
Local
Roadway Improvements – Snohomish County proposes
improvement to a number of local roads.
These improvements are needed to compliment the proposed investments on
the major state highways.
Transit
Related Improvements – Snohomish County is directing their
MVET generated revenue towards specific projects that improve transit service
and operations. Several park and ride
lots are proposed, a major contribution to the Edmonds Multimodal Terminal and
a minor investment in the Mukilteo Multimodal Terminal are included, bus and
van purchases are on the list, and several other transit related improvements
are proposed in Snohomish County.
|
SNOHOMISH COUNTY PROJECTS |
RTID
COST
|
|
I-5 Improvements |
$226.7M |
|
SR 9 Improvements |
$491.3M |
|
US 2 Improvements |
$399.3M |
|
SR 522 Improvements |
$94.6M |
|
Other State Highways |
$240.6M |
|
Local Roadways |
$258.9M |
|
Transit Related |
$327.7M |
Subtotal
|
$2,039.1M |
Sound Transit
|
$100-300M |
Total Investment level
|
Up to $2,200M |
Under the “common ballot”, Sound Transit, the
RTA, will decide the HCT projects they choose to fund with unused RTA taxing
authority. When the Sound Transit board identifies the specific Phase I, Sound
Move projects they wish to accelerate using funds from a “Common Ballot”, staff
can develop a financial plan that matches expenditures with the best fit for a
combination of cash and bonds. This
will need to occur between May 27 Sound transit Board action and the Final Plan
adoption by the Planning Committee.
Executive Board members asked for cost
estimates for the Sound Transit investments. These are not available at this time. These costs are anticipated by the date of the Sound Transit
Board action on May 20.
The Executive Board members also asked if
Sound Transit would fund HOV projects with RTA funds. These are eligible projects but would require a Sound Transit
board policy change.
|
Tax
(in billions) Over
15 years |
District
wide |
King
|
Pierce |
Snohomish |
|
0.1% RTA tax transfer, fully bonded. |
|
1.2 |
0. |
0.3 |
|
0.1% RTA, cash expenditures |
1.38 |
0.89 |
0.26 |
0.22 |
|
0.08%, fully bonded |
1. |
0. |
0. |
0.24 |
|
Eligible Expenditure |
1.40 |
1.10+ |
up to 0.15 |
up to 0.15 |
Following adoption of a draft plan on April
29, staff will complete detailed scopes, cost reviews, and a financial plan.
From May 1 – May 28, the draft plan will be
presented to the County Councils of Pierce, King, and Snohomish Countiesy for information
and discussion. In addition, the draft
plan will be reviewed with civic organizations and opinion leaders.
The Sound Transit Board is scheduled to
discuss a common ballot on May 20 and to take action on May 27, 2004.
The Executive Committee will meet on June 10,
or before, to adopt a final plan, incorporating feedback from the public review
process.
The Planning Committee would meet on June 17
to adopt the final plan, should the Executive Committee decide to move forward
for the November 2004 election.