Below are the minutes for the Regional Transportation Advisory Committee meeting, held on Friday, December 16, 2005, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in the Training Room 679 (6th Floor), at the Clark County Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin Street, 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, December 16, 2005, at 9:00 a.m. in the Conference Room (6th Floor) at the Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin Street Vancouver, Washington. Dean Lookingbill, Transportation Director, served as Chair for the meeting. Those in attendance follow:
Jim Carothers City of Camas Lynda David RTC Rebecca Eisiminger Port of Vancouver Mark Harrington RTC Bob Hart RTC Shinwon Kim RTC Katherine Klockenteger WSDOT Dean Lookingbill RTC Mike Mabrey Clark County Steven Mathews WSDOT, SW Region Thomas Picco ODOT Ed Pickering C-TRAN Bill Pierce WSDOT Matt Ransom City of Vancouver Sandi Roberts RTC Dale Robins RTC Scott Sawyer City of Washougal Marty Snell Clark County Mark Turpel Metro Steve Wall City of Ridgefield Robin Washington Clark County Susan Wilson Clark County Phil Wuest City of Vancouver Dean Lookingbill, RTC, asked for any changes or corrections to the November 21, 2005, meeting minutes.
THOMAS PICCO, ODOT, MOVED FOR APPROVAL OF THE NOVEMBER 21, 2005, MINUTES AND BECKY EISIMINGER, PORT OF VANCOUVER, SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION WAS UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED.
II. 2006-2008 Federal Earmarks MTIP Amendment, Action
Dale Robins, RTC, presented the 2006-2008 Federal Earmarks MTIP Amendment and said all regionally significant projects must be listed in the Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program (MTIP), which in turn becomes a part of the statewide State Transportation Improvement Program. Dale pointed out that this MTIP amendment will incorporate SAFETEA-LU High Priority Projects, FY 2006 Federal Appropriation projects, and FY 2005 Federal Appropriation projects that need to be carried forward into the 2006-2008 MTIP. The projects listed under SAFETEA-LU High Priority Projects are: 1) I-5 Salmon Creek Interchange, Clark County, $10,772,000, 2) Vancouver Advanced Traffic Management, RTC, $500,000, 3) NE 18th Street, 87th Avenue to 192nd Avenue, Vancouver, $3,200,000, 4) Vancouver SR-14 Pedestrian Bridge, Vancouver, $4,500,000, 5) I-5 Columbia River Crossing, WSDOT, $8,000,000, 6) I-5/SR-501 Ridgefield Interchange, WSDOT, $9,000,000, and 7) SR-14/Camas Washougal Widening and Interchange, WSDOT, $1,500,000. The FY 2006 Federal Appropriation Projects listed are: 1) 39th Street-Vancouver Rail Project, WSDOT, $2,000,000, and 2) NW 26th Avenue extension and Rail Bypass, Vancouver, $2,300,000. The FY 2005 Federal Appropriation Projects listed are: 1) VAST-ITS, C-TRAN, $1,931,000, and 2) Port of Ridgefield Grade Crossing, Port of Ridgefield, $965,000.
Dale said that all projects would be programmed in the 2006-2008 MTIP and that all projects in this proposed MTIP amendment are found to be consistent with all state and federal requirements. All projects were included and analyzed in existing regional air quality conformity analyses. Over $44 million in federal funding is programmed in the MTIP and subsequently the STIP with this proposed amendment.
Dale reviewed the STIP summary pages that were attached to the memorandum. Dale commented on use of dollars by year. Using the I-5 Salmon Creek Interchange project as an example. Dale explained that not all of the money can be obligated immediately as money is spread out over the 5 years of the Federal Transportation Act with about 20% of the funding available per year. Therefore, the last 20% of the funding can be obligated in October 2008. This is because the new Federal Transportation Act runs through 2009 and Federal Fiscal Year 2009 begins October 1, 2008. Dale said that the NW 26th Avenue Extension and Rail Bypass EIS will be re-named the West Vancouver Freight Access and will be a Port of Vancouver project. There was discussion between Bill Pierce (WSDOT) and local staff regarding lead agency and certified agency status for the I-5/Ridgefield Junction and the SR-14 projects. In summary, changes made to the list at the December 16, 2005, meeting included the following. 1) West Vancouver Freight Access: renamed, switched to Port of Vancouver, Local match changed to $600,000, 2) I-5/SR-501 Interchange: Federal portion was programmed under the City of Ridgefield, funds split between PE and CN, and 3) SR-14 Camas Washougal Widening and Interchange: Federal portion programmed under the City of Washougal. Dale will send the final revised project list to RTAC members via e-mail.
SCOTT SAWYER, CITY OF WASHOUGAL, MADE THE MOTION TO FORWARD THE PROPOSED MTIP AMENDMENT WHICH WOULD PROGRAM $44.67 MILLION IN FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION FUNDS IN THE CLARK COUNTY MTIP, WITH RTAC’S NOTED CORRECTIONS, TO THE RTC BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR APPROVAL. ED PICKERING, C-TRAN, SECONDED THE MOTION AND IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED.
III. Federal Fiscal Year 2007 Transportation Appropriation Request Process and Initial List of Projects, Discussion
Dean Lookingbill, RTC, presented the Federal Fiscal Year 2007 Transportation Appropriation Request Process and Initial List of Projects. Dean pointed out that the process to identify and prioritize the region’s 2007 federal transportation appropriation project requests was initiated at last month’s RTAC meeting. Dean said following the RTAC meeting, the RTC Board was provided with feedback from RTAC on key issues and the overall policy framework for developing a regional list of prioritized ’07 federal appropriation project requests. Dean asked RTAC members to make a recommendation to the RTC Board on the policy framework for selecting and prioritizing the ’07 appropriation requests and to identify an initial set of project requests. The RTC Board will discuss RTAC’s policy framework recommendations at their January meeting and then be asked to finalize the project list at the February 7, 2006, RTC meeting.
Dean reviewed the bulleted points outlined in the Memo that could provide policy guidance for project selection and prioritization for FY 07 federal transportation appropriation requests. RTAC members then reviewed the projects listed on page 2 of the packet Memo identified for possible FY 2007 appropriation requests. It was noted the list may change between now and the January RTAC meeting. FY ’07 appropriations will be an agenda item for the January 3, 2006 RTC Board meeting then RTAC will be asked to finalize the project recommendations at the January 20, 2006, meeting. It is anticipated that the RTC Board will complete the prioritization of projects at their February 7, 2006, meeting. Some of the changes suggested to the list on page 2 included: 1) Salmon Creek Interchange, revised amount to $5 million, 2) I-5 Columbia River Crossing, consult with CRC for dollar amount, SR-14 Camas/Washougal Widening would be a Camas/Washougal project, 4) I-5/SR-501 Ridgefield Interchange, increase amount to $3 million, 5) add NE 18 Street Widening, $3 million (Vancouver), 6) add West Vancouver Freight Access, $4 million (Port of Vancouver), 7) add C-TRAN Coaches, $4 million (C-TRAN), 8) SR-35 Columbia River Crossing, change amount to $500,000 (Klickitat County).
Dale Robins, RTC, noted that if any additional changes to the MTIP Amendment or the proposed FY 2007 Appropriations Project List are needed, please provide that information to Dale by Friday, December 23, 2005, and it can then be included in the RTC Board mailing for the Board’s January 3, 2006 meeting.
IV. Columbia River Crossing Project - Update, Discussion
Bob Hart, RTC, presented the Columbia River Crossing Project update. Bob distributed handouts, “Columbia River Crossing, Draft: December 15, 2005, I-5 Columbia River Crossing, Statement of Purpose and Need” and “Evaluation Process and Schedule”. Bob said as RTAC members are well aware, WSDOT and ODOT are leading an Environmental Impact Statement and project design process to develop transportation improvements to a 5-mile segment of I-5 from SR-500 in Vancouver to Columbia Boulevard in Portland (referred to as the I-5 Bridge Influence Area). This effort includes replacement or modification of the two I-5 Columbia River bridges. The improvements to be addressed are expected to include: highway, vehicular freight, transit, pedestrian, and bicycle needs.
Bob noted the Columbia River Crossing Project is progressing through the early stages of a federal Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process. The early stages of the EIS process include defining the Project’s vision and values, problem definition, and the purpose and need statement. The Columbia River Crossing Task Force is leading this effort with support and coordination among a host of local governments, local agencies, and federal agencies. The taskforce has adopted a vision and values statement and drafted a problem definition.
Bob said the Columbia River Crossing Task Force Vision and Values Statement provides the foundation for developing criteria and performance measures that will be used to evaluate the I-5 Bridge Influence Area alternatives. The Columbia River Crossing Project NEPA process will include consideration of: crossing infrastructure; multimodal transportation; connectivity; high capacity transit; land use; funding; community and business interest; under-represented, low income and minority communities; commuter and freight mobility; maritime mobility; and the environment.
Bob reviewed the vision for the Columbia River Crossing project and said this will be developed through an inclusive and collaborative process that considers and gives weight to the work of the I-5 Trade and Transportation Partnership and delivers a financially feasible solution that sustains and stimulates a healthy community by addressing its mobility and transportation needs, increasing its business success and family prosperity, protecting its natural resources, and enhancing its quality of life.
Bob highlighted the current problems 1) Travel demand exceeds capacity in the I-5 Bridge Influence Area causing heavy congestion and delay during peak travel periods for automobile, transit, and freight traffic. This limits mobility within the region and impedes access to major activity centers. 2) Transit service between Vancouver and Portland is constrained by the limited capacity in the I-5 corridor and is subject to the same congestion as other vehicles, affecting transit reliability and operations. 3) The access of truck-hauled freight to nationally and regionally significant industrial and commercial districts, as well as connections to marine, rail, and air freight facilities, is impaired by congestion in the I-5 Bridge Influence Area. 4) The I-5 bridge crossing area and its approach sections experience crash rates up to 2.5 times higher than statewide averages for comparable urban freeways in Washington and Oregon, largely due to outdated design. Incident evaluations attribute crashes to congestion, closely spaced interchanges, and short weave and merge sections, vertical grade changes in the bridge span, and narrow shoulders. 5) Bicycle and pedestrian facilities for crossing the Columbia River in the I-5 Bridge Influence Area are not designed to promote non-motorized access and connectivity across the river. 6) The I-5 bridges across the Columbia River do not meet current seismic standards, leaving them vulnerable to failure in an earthquake. 7) As the Vancouver/Portland metropolitan region grows, mobility and accessibility for automobile, freight, and transit will decline unless the disparity between demand and capacity in the I-5 Bridge Influence Area is addressed. The increasing disparity between and capacity will lead to longer delays, increased accident potential, and diminished quality of life and economic opportunity.
Dean pointed out that staff would keep RTAC updated on reports and the progress that takes place regarding the Columbia River Crossing. Information is also is available on the CRC’s website.
V. RTC Region: 2003 Nickel, 2005 Partnership, and 2005 SAFETEA-LU Funding, Discussion
The memo titled “RTC Region: 2003 Nickel, 2005 Partnership, and 2005 SAFETEA-LU Funding” was distributed to the RTAC members. Dean said RTC is thinking of pulling information together that would provide a tool to keep track of projects regarding project status and funding. Dean asked for feedback from RTAC. Dean said the information would be presented to the RTC Board of Directors.
Dale Robins, RTC, reviewed the handout information and said he listed the projects by corridor with the state projects alphabetized by state route. Dale said that the status reflects status of projects as they were selected by the 2005 state legislature. Updates will be made when new information is available e.g. during the 2006 legislative session. He reviewed project titles and gave a brief description of each project. Dale pointed out that he didn’t list all funding sources for projects but focused on the major federal and state sources. Bill Pierce, WSDOT, said this should be footnoted. He also suggested that appropriations should be shown by year to help in final reporting. Phil Wuest, City of Vancouver suggested putting full project cost in the status column. Dale reiterated that there might be changes on some of these projects due to legislative decisions in the 2006 legislative session.
VI. Other Business
A. RTAC Members
GMA Update
Marty Snell, Clark County, introduced himself as the new Clark County Community Development Long Range Planning Manager. Marty said that the Board of County Commissioners adopted an update to the Comprehensive Growth Management Plan in September 2004. However, with several appeals to the Plan and new Board members elected, the County has been working on another Plan update with an updated set of assumptions. The Plan update now in progress could see the County grow to a population of around 600,000 in the next twenty years. Marty reported that staff and Board members had been developing alternatives to study as part of the Plan’s EIS process. At the December 13th, 2005 Board work session, Marty said the Board gave direction to prepare and review three alternatives. These alternatives are: 1) a “No Action” alternative reflecting the Plan adopted in September 2004, 2) an alternative based on the “2005 Discussion Map” reflecting the principles, planning assumptions, and growth projections identified by the Commissioners, and 3) a combination of all the cities’ requests together with study of urban reserves. Marty said that with the Board’s approval, the County will be sending materials to a consultant for early capital facilities plan analysis. The Office of Budget and Information Systems (OBIS) will be working on revenue and expenditure forecasting and the County will be working with RTC on travel forecasting. The aim is to have an updated Plan adopted before the end of 2006. It is anticipated that a DEIS will be prepared and issued in June or July 2006 with a preferred alternative and FEIS issued some time in the fall depending on whether the Board addresses the issue of zoning between the draft and final EIS planning phases. Marty said there will be a meeting later this afternoon about how the land use assumptions and inputs get folded into the Columbia River Crossing project. He said the County would also be working closely with local partners on land use inputs for the 3 alternatives. Marty said staff would be returning to the Board of Commissioners in about 2 to 3 months with analysis of transportation, CFP needs and revenues. Scott Sawyer asked when the County would want information from jurisdictions for CFPs for water, sewer and streets. Marty said the information is needed as early as possible but likely no later than February/March, 2006. Marty said staff would be working with consultants on the possibility of using an innovative set of analyses for alternative 3 to look at minimizing impacts to transportation, school districts and critical areas. Marty said the County would be working on a public outreach program in the next four to six months. He said he would be emphasizing the benefits of working in partnership with cities on this. There was additional discussion relating to demographic growth forecasts, market factors and transportation analysis. Dean said that the updated comprehensive plan would be reflected in an update to the MTP. He also reminded staff of local jurisdictions that RTC has to certify the transportation element of local Comprehensive Growth Management Plans according to state law. Certification includes a review of consistency between local, regional and state transportation plans.
B. RTC Staff
FY 07 Unified Planning Work Program
Lynda David said the federal and state review meeting for the UPWP is scheduled to be held at RTC on February 13, 2006 at 1:30 p.m.. Lynda will be e-mailing requests to jurisdictions to help in developing the FY 07 UPWP.
High Capacity Transit Corridors Update
$1.488 million in federal funds was earmarked to study high capacity transit corridors in Clark County. The study was included in RTC’s 2006 work plan that the RTC Board approved at the December 2005 Board meeting. Discussion of the study will likely be on the February 2006 RTC Board agenda.
Active Community Environments Program
Lynda explained that the state legislature passed a law in 2005 that updated the Growth Management Act to require that bicycle and pedestrian modes are included as a components of the transportation element in Comprehensive Plans and that land use policies be developed to promote greater physical activity. As part of the Active Community Environments program, RTC will be working with the state and local jurisdictions to host a workshop on these requirements.
FY 2007 TIB Project Funding Summary
Dale distributed the “FY 2007 TIB Summary” that contained a list of projects submitted for FY 2007 TIB funding. The list showed those projects that were successful in gaining funds and those that were not. The list also showed the points awarded to each project in each evaluation category. Dale said that for those projects that did not gain funding this time, the list could be helpful in reviewing where these projects fell short in points awarded and could prove valuable in making the projects more competitive for future funding submittals.
Bill Pierce, WSDOT, said Faye Jenkins-Edwards from SW Region and Dave Zevenbergen from WSDOT Headquarters are retiring.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:55 a.m. The next meeting will be Friday, January 20, 2006.
Regional Transportation Council
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Vancouver, Washington 98660Tel: 360-397-6067
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