Meeting Agenda – May 19, 2020

Virtual Meeting Agenda


 

Public Notice

The Commission reserves the right to take action on any item on the agenda, make adjustments to the order of agenda items, and adjust the time of adjournment as needed

 


Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Item 1: 9:00 am

TVW Live

Commission Business

  • Approval of February 19 & 20, 2020 Meeting Summary – ACTION
  • Staffing Update & Introduction of new Commission Policy Staff
  • Road Usage Charge Federal Grant Update
  • 2020 – 21 Update on 2020 Meeting Plans and 2021 Implications
  • AV Work Group 2020 Schedule – Update
  • Public Notice: SR 20 Naming Requests –  Action Scheduled for June 16 & 17, 2020

Presenters:
Reema Griffith, Executive Director, Washington State Transportation Commission
Paul Parker, Deputy Director, Washington State Transportation Commission

Item 2: 9:30

INRIX Report on Traffic during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Presenter:
Ted Trepanier, Senior Director, Public Sector Services, INRIX
Keith Metcalf, Deputy Secretary, Washington State Department of Transportation

INRIX, the Kirkland-based company that analyzes traffic data from road sensors and vehicles, will share world-wide traffic demand changes due to the COVID-19 virus. In addition to real-time speed and congestion information, INRIX trip data enhances its ability to identify national, state and local road usage trends which will be shared.

WSDOT also monitors traffic patterns on state highways and ferries and will demonstrate the data presented in its COVID-19 Multimodal Transportation System Performance Dashboard.

Trip Trends in the U.S. during COVID-19 Pandemic (pdf 1.8 kb)

Break: 10:20

Item 3: 10:30

Tolling Update:

  • Traffic and Revenue update for Jan-March 2020, and COVID-19 implications
  • SR 520 Bridge Financial Update
  • Back Office System implementation
  • Tacoma Narrows Bridge Fund balance Update
  • Update on Washington State Transportation Commission (WSTC) Low-income Toll Study

Presenters:
Ed Barry, Director, Toll Division, Washington State Department of Transportation
Jason Richter, Deputy State Treasurer, Office of the State Treasurer
Carl See, Senior Financial Analyst, Washington State Transportation Commission

Staff from WSDOT will brief the Commission on the performance of toll facilities, including traffic and revenue for January – March. They will also speak to the impact of COVID-19 on traffic volumes in March-April as people have stayed home in efforts to reduce the spread of the virus, and plans to assess implications.

The Office of the State Treasurer will brief the Commission on the status of meeting SR 520 bridge financial requirements.

Commission staff will provide an update on the fund balance for the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, and on the progress of the legislatively directed study to assess the impacts of tolling on low-income drivers of the I-405/ SR 167 ETLs, and determine possible approaches to mitigating such impacts.

Toll Facilities Traffic and Revenue (pdf 764 kb)

Updates on Tacoma Narrows Bridge Sufficient Minimum Balance & I-405/SR 167 ETLs Low-Income Toll Study (pdf 556 kb)

Item 4: 11:30

Washington State Ferries Update:

  • Coronavirus impacts on Washington State Ferries (WSF) traffic and revenue, and operational changes

Presenters:
Stephanie Cirkovich, Director, Community Services and Planning, Washington State Ferries,  Washington State Department of Transportation
Rick Singer, Director, Finance and Administration, Washington State Ferries, Washington State Department of Transportation
Ray Deardorf, Senior Planning Manager, Washington State Ferries, Washington State Department of Transportation

As people have stayed home in efforts to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus, traffic volume on Washington State Ferries (WSF) has dropped significantly. WSF staff will brief the Commission on service changes made to maintain safe and efficient ferry service and will provide preliminary estimates of how reduced traffic has impacted WSF revenues and the implications going forward.  

Preliminary Impacts of COVID-19 (pdf 175 kb)

Item 5: 12:15

Ferry Riders’ Opinion Group 2020 Survey Update

Presenters:
Chelsea Banning
, Director, Design and Analysis, Pacific Market Research
Bill Young
, Program Manager, Research Assurance

This presentation will brief the Commission on the updated 2020 survey schedule for the Ferry Riders’ Opinion Group (FROG), which was revised due to reduced ridership from the COVID-19 virus.

Washington State Ferries 2020-2021 Performance & Experience Research (pdf 196 kb)

Item 6: 12:30

Reflections and Recommendations

Adjourn: 12:40

Next Meeting:

June 16 & 17, 2020
Virtual Local Meeting – Bellingham and the Regional Area