The Year Ahead, and 2006 in Review

The decisions and choices we make this year around transportation investments in King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties will shape our region for decades to come.

Over the next several months, the public will have the opportunity to review and provide feedback on our region’s first integrated and comprehensive Roads & Transit improvement plan before it is finalized and placed on the ballot in November 2007. This plan will represent the single largest investment in transportation improvements ever considered in the Puget Sound region.

As we look forward to 2007 and all the important work ahead, I want to share with you some of our accomplishments of 2006. Last year was marked by significant steps forward for commuters, businesses and citizens who rely on our region’s transportation system to get them where they need to go.

For RTID board members, 2006 began with an important legislative session in which we achieved many—but not all—of our legislative goals.

Following the legislative session, we adopted a draft Blueprint for Progress that identifies our region’s priority road and bridge investments. We held an initial series of five open houses with our partner, Sound Transit, to hear directly from the public and gather their input on our draft plan.

The year concluded with Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) providing us with project cost updates that will influence the final plan that goes to voters in November 2007—less than 11 months from now.

We were able to step up to these challenges thanks to the hard work of our Executive Board and Planning Committee, as well as our partners at Sound Transit, WSDOT, the Puget Sound Regional Council and other affiliated agencies.

Our sincere thanks also go to you, the thousands of citizens, community leaders, and elected officials; business, environmental, and labor groups; and others who shared your ideas and feedback with us. We’ll count on you to stay involved in the exciting, important work of the coming year.

Regional Transportation Investment District

January 2007 Update

WSDOT Updates Cost Estimates

The Washington State Department of Transportation updated its cost estimates for the road and bridge projects in the draft Blueprint for Progress. In particular, global competition, rising oil prices, the impacts of Hurricane Katrina, and an improving economy contributed to a sharp spike in prices for key commodities needed to build roads and bridges. Open a comprehensive review of the cost updates (PDF, 1.3 MB).

We are working with WSDOT to squeeze as much value as possible out of every dollar we spend, so we can achieve our original vision and complete important road improvements in the three-county region. We must present reliable cost figures to the public so they know what they are getting and how much it is going to cost.

Our goal is to have a road improvement plan that, when combined with Sound Transit’s Phase 2 projects, addresses key corridors in the region, reduces chokepoints and congestion, increases mobility, and maintains and improves our economic vitality.

We know that the cost of delay is huge, and that postponing these decisions is not an option. We also know that citizens across the region want a transportation plan that combines roads and transit elements in a comprehensive, integrated package—a plan that delivers real benefits and gets people to work, school and home faster and more reliably.

The Schedule Ahead

The RTID Executive Committee met on January 12 to review the Blueprint and additional finance, project, schedule and cost information we received in 2006. We plan to adopt a revised draft Blueprint at our January 26 meeting.

Public comments concerning topics on the agenda will be heard at the start of the meeting. The meeting will be held at the King County Council Chambers on the 10th floor of the King County Courthouse, 516 3rd. Ave. in Seattle.

Roads & Transit Open Houses, Round Two

Last fall, we received an unprecedented number of comments from you about where you want road and bridge investments made. We listened to your ideas, and used them to help refine our plan.

RTID and Sound Transit will be holding a second round of joint public open houses across the region in February and March of this year. The open houses will give you an opportunity to learn about, and share your ideas on, the draft Roads & Transit plan.

Meet with RTID, Share Your Ideas

Over the course of 2006, RTID staff and board members along with our partners at Sound Transit made presentations to, and met with, dozens of groups across Snohomish, Pierce and King Counties. From the Regional Access Mobility Partnership in Pierce County to the Snohomish County Committee for Improved Transportation, the Bellevue Downtown Association and the South King County Area Transportation Board, we’ve crisscrossed the region to share our plans and hear from you. Find the full list of meetings we attended.

If your organization is interested in organizing a meeting, please let us know. Contact RTID at info@rtid.org.ads and Transit package to submit to voters in November 2007.

For more information or to have the newsletter e-mailed to you, please contact info@rtid.org

RTID web site