State Transportation Commission to meet March 21, 22
Posted 3.16.06
Olympia Headquarters - PO Box 47308 - Olympia, WA 98504-7308
(360) 705-7070
Date: March 16, 2006
| Contacts: |
Reema Griffith, Transportation Commission Administrator,
360-705-7070 |
OLYMPIA – Next week in Olympia, the Washington State Transportation Commission will talk about tolling, transportation partnerships and changes in transportation governance. The Commission’s regular monthly meeting starts at 9 a.m., Tuesday, March 21, and will reconvene at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, March. 22. At 3 p.m., the Commission’s Washington Transportation Plan workgroup will meet to continue their work on the update of the plan. Both days’ meetings are open to the public and will be held at the Transportation Building, 310 Maple Park Avenue SE in Olympia.
As part of a Statewide Tolling Study, the Commission’s consultant, Cambridge Systematics, will demonstrate on Tuesday the feasibility of various tolling scenarios for Washington State highways. In addition, Commission members will share their observations and impressions while attending a series of focus groups recently held in Bellevue, Yakima and Vancouver. The focus groups were convened to gather base information about public attitudes toward tolling of transportation facilities. More information on the study is available at: www.wstc.wa.gov/Tolling.
On a related subject, the Commission will discuss with Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) staff the next steps in the process to initiate tolling on the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge. WSDOT staff will also present their plan for managing traffic during the transition period, when the new bridge opens in 2007 and the existing bridge is closed for up to one year to improve and reconfigure the bridge to carry three westbound lanes.
Also on Tuesday, the Commission will consider taking action to officially initiate the rule making process for the Transportation Innovative Partnerships Program (www.wstc.wa.gov/TIP). The new public-program for transportation projects, enacted by the legislature in 2005, gives the Commission responsibility to review and approve agreements, adopt rules to implement and govern the program, and select potential projects proposed under this program. The draft rules were first presented to the Commission in November 2005 and are available on the Commission’s Web site. Once the rule-making process is initiated, a public hearing will follow at a later date, yet to be announced.
On Wednesday, Senator Mary Margaret Haugen will meet with Commissioners to discuss recent legislative changes in transportation governance. Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6800 includes additional direction to the Commission in creating statewide transportation policy and coordinated statewide planning.
Finally, the Commission will present a resolution honoring Senator Bob Oke of the 26th Legislative District for his work in transportation. Through the span of his legislative career, Oke has been deeply involved in transportation issues, including Washington State Ferries and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge project.
News Archive
|
