Below are the minutes for the Regional Transportation Advisory Committee meeting, held on Friday, June 20, 2003, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in Conference Room East (6A), at the Clark County Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin Street - Floor 4, Vancouver, Washington. The agenda for this meeting is also available.
I. Call to Order and Approval of Minutes
The meeting of the Regional Transportation Advisory Committee was called to order on Friday, June 20, 2003 at 9:00 a.m. in the Conference Room (6A) at Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin Street 6th Floor Vancouver, Washington. Dale Robins, Senior Transportation Planner, served as Chair for the meeting. Those in attendance follow:
Jonathan Abuyan WSDOT Sam Adams City of Battle Ground Jim Carothers City of Camas John Cullerton Metro Lynda David RTC John Fratt Port of Vancouver Patrick Green C-TRAN Marla Harrison C-TRAN Bob Hart RTC Shinwon Kim RTC Mike Mabrey Clark County Thomas Picco ODOT Ed Pickering C-TRAN Sandi Roberts RTC Dale Robins RTC Wade Strange SW Clean Air Agency Bill Wright Clark County Phil Wuest City of Vancouver Dale Robins asked to change the agenda order and move the Federal Functional Classification System Update to the final agenda item.
Dale Robins asked for any changes or corrections to the May 16, 2003, Meeting Minutes.
SAM ADAMS, CITY OF BATTLE GROUND MOVED FOR APPROVAL OF THE MAY 16, 2003 MINUTES AND ED PICKERING, C-TRAN SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION WAS UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED.
II. Delta Park Widening Project Overview, Discussion
Thomas Picco, ODOT, provided an overview of the status of the I-5, Delta Park to Lombard project. Thomas explained that the Environmental Assessment is now underway. Project details are on the project website. Thomas spoke of the challenges of meeting the vertical clearance of 33’ needed over the Slough. Copies of the Alternatives Screening Matrix were distributed. Light rail to Clark College is included in the “No Build” alternative as this LRT extension is included in Metro’s current Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). In addition to the No Build Alternative, Thomas outlined the features of the three alternatives recommended for further study. Aerial photos of these three alternatives were distributed; Alternative 1.a. “Re-Construct Southbound Entrance Ramp, Alternative 1.b., “Go East”, and Alternative 1.e. “North to Schmeer, New Interchange at Schmeer Road”. Alternative 1.a. is the simplest alternative but does not provide a full interchange at Columbia. Alternative 1.e. would eliminate the Victory Boulevard interchange. Thomas said that the region needs to think about the long-term gains when comparing alternatives.
III. Transit Update, Discussion
Patrick Green, C-TRAN presented the Downtown Transportation Management Association (TMA) study. Patrick said the purpose of this study would be to identify the potential for establishing a Transportation Management Association in the downtown Vancouver area. This will be a quick study to determine market feasibility and will be completed by June 30, 2003. Parsons Brinckerhoff is the consultant assisting C-TRAN with the study.
The specifics of the study will include:
- Specify the need for a TMA
- Determine support among employers (public and private) for a TMA
- Identify interested parties for future participation
- Establish boundaries for proposed TMA
C-TRAN held two public meetings last week and invited anybody in the downtown area, developers, residents and employers to participate. There was a good turn out from downtown residents, but few employers were present. Phil Wuest, City of Vancouver commented that he has heard that the senior citizens appreciate the bus mall downtown and feels there is a great need to keep it.
Marla Harrison C-TRAN presented the 20-year Transit Planning Process Overview. After I-695 failed, C-TRAN lost a great deal of funding and had to make some drastic changes to keep transit moving. C-TRAN has been using their reserve funds to maintain existing service. However, these reserves will be depleted in the next few years. As a result, C-TRAN is moving forward with this strategic planning process to come up with some alternatives. This is a public process, which brings the community into this discussion. There are three phases in the strategic planning process. The first phase is to develop alternatives. C-TRAN will work with a technical group to develop alternative. The technical group first meeting will be July 10th. C-TRAN hopes to develop 5 alternatives. These alternatives will then be taken out to the public, to find out what works best for the community.
The second phase will be selecting a preferred alternative. C-TRAN will be doing some modeling with RTC’s assistance to help select a preferred alternative. C-TRAN’s internal team will develop an implementation plan for the preferred alternative. Marla said staff will present the preferred alternative to C-TRAN’s Board in October 2003. C-TRAN hopes to develop a plan that is understandable, acceptable, and is supported. Marla pointed out she would like input from RTAC Members. We will be looking at all aspects of C-TRAN’s business. We will be looking at what kinds of buses we run, where do we run them, how frequently they run, and the sizes of the buses. C-TRAN will be having some focus groups and public meetings. An open house will be held at the Parsley Center, July 17th. The web site gives more information www.c-tran.roadmap.com. C-TRAN staff will be present at public events, 4th of July, Farmers Market, etc. to get the word out
The final phase of the study is the evaluation of capital projects, which will be rolled into the 20-year plan. Seventh Street is an issue that C-TRAN will be evaluating. C-TRAN has been working on a potential 179th Fair Grounds Park-n-Ride. However, the private party backed out of the proposal and at the present time this is tabled. C-TRAN is operating at Vancouver Mall with an expired contract. All of the major tenants have signed off except one, C-TRAN does not know if they can get a lease with Vancouver Mall or not. If they do get a lease they will take the current operations, which are lined with the entrance to the Mall and shift them to align with the outer loop road. C-TRAN is looking at a backup plan, which is using the property that C-TRAN owns just south of C-TRAN’s headquarters building as a temporary site. C-TRAN will do some alternative analysis.
C-TRAN is designing the 99th Street Park-n-Ride and working with Hazel Dell Town Center to complete these plans. The Town Center will be building the road from 99th Street that will provide access to the Park-n-Ride. Plans should be finalized by July. Marla said the opening date for the 99th Street Park-n-Ride is September 2004.
In response to a question from an RTAC member, Marla described some of the alternatives being considered by C-TRAN:
- Shrink operations, run a bus system but smaller scale
- Get innovative and keep system running at a higher lever
- Do we charge for Park-n-Ride
- Do we up the fares
- Fare structures
- C-VAN Service
John Cullerton, Metro asked if the no new revenue scenario keeps a balance between serving local Clark County trips and commuter trips in Portland. Marla said that is one of the things that C-TRAN is looking at.
IV. Federal Functional Classification System Update, Discussion
Lynda David, RTC presented Federal Functional Classification System Update. Lynda reminded RTAC Members the revision to the federal Urban Area Boundary (UAB), following the 2000 census, was on the agenda at RTC meetings held in January and February 2003. As noted at these meetings, an update to the UAB is the first step in a process to update to the federal functional Classification system. At the March RTAC meeting, the process to update the functional classification system was outlined.
Lynda pointed out that the Guidance on updating the federal functional classification system is provided in the WSDOT publications, Guidelines for Amend Urban Boundaries and Functional Classification, (WSDOT, October 2002.) Lynda said criteria and characteristics of each functional classification type could be found in the publication as well as in Chapter 3 of the Metropolitan Transportation Plan for Clark County (MTP), available on RTC’s web site at www.rtc.wa.gov. Trip length, route spacing and system continuity are all criteria that should be considered in the functional classification of roadways. Lynda reviewed the Rural and Urban Functional Classification Criteria charts. She highlighted the various facility types and criteria.
Lynda said by July 1, 2003, WSDOT and FHWA want a list of roadways whose functional classification system changes as a result of changes to the UAB. WSDOT and FHWA want to be able to approve the updated system by December 2003 to coincide with update to the local, regional and state Transportation Improvement Programs.
Lynda pointed out that WSDOT and FHWA staff met in Olympia in May to consider the draft update to the federal Urban Area Boundary (UAB). The UAB update was discussed at the February RTAC meeting and was approved for submittal by the RTC Board of Directors in early March 2003. The Olympia meeting raised an issue for the Vancouver UAB. Within Washington State, a decision was made to categorize urban areas based on Census Designated Place (CDPs) of greater than 5,000 in population rather than on presence of an urban cluster. Due to the large size of the Hockinson CDP, it becomes an urban area with a population just over 5,000 The decision that the region needs to make is whether to integrate Hockinson into the Vancouver UAB or to have it stand alone as an urban place. If Hockinson were brought into the Vancouver UAB then Brush Prairie CDP would also have to be a part of the UAB to have a contiguous urban area. Whatever the decision, any existing rural minor collectors in the Hockinson CDP would have to be re-classified to urban collector. Lynda said it might be in our best interest to have the Vancouver Urban Area Boundary (UAB) be as reflective as possible of the Growth Management Urban Area (UGA), which excludes the Hockinson area. Lynda said the next census designation we will want to divide Hockinson CDP. RTAC members expressed that the Hockinson area is rural in nature and should not be included in the Vancouver Urban Area.
The next step is to update the federal functional classification system in areas that have been added to the Vancouver Urban area boundary since the 1990 Census. This is primarily the Battle Ground area. Road classification in these areas needs to be upgraded from rural to urban standards. Lynda said this is one of the main changes in the functional classification system. Lynda said the map that RTAC Members were viewing would be the draft that would be submitted to State and Federal Highways for their review. Lynda invited the jurisdictions that were interested in the detailed Functional Classification System Map to stay after the meeting to discuss the boundaries and road classification system.
Lynda pointed out that RTC is having challenges placing the attributes on the underlying GIS street database and layer system. We want to figure out a way to move this forward in the future, so that every time the underlying road network changes the attributes actually move forward also. This is a regional issue that we would really like to try to resolve.
V. Other Business
A. RTAC Members
John Cullerton, Metro, said he had been talking to Phil Selinger from Tri-Met regarding modeling for Delta Park/Lombard and wants to work with C-TRAN and RTC to come up with reasonable assumptions for transit service in the I-5 Corridor.
B. RTC Staff
- 2002 Congestion Management Report now available
- TIB Workshop – Monday, June 23, 2003 in Woodland from 10:00 to Noon
- TIP funding applications due Friday, June 27, 2003
The meeting was adjourned at 10:16 a.m. The next meeting will be Friday, July 18, 2003.
For More Information Contact:
Regional Transportation Council
1300 Franklin Street, Floor 4
Vancouver, Washington 98660Tel: 360-397-6067
Fax: 360-397-6132
E-mail: info@rtc.wa.govServed by C-TRAN Route 3.
If you have special needs, please contact RTC.
       
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