State Transportation Commission to Meet on
December 13 and 14
Posted 12.08.05
Transportation Commission Office – PO Box 47308 – Olympia,
WA 98504-7308
(360) 705-7070
Date: December 7, 2005
| Contacts: |
Reema Griffith, Transportation
Commission Administrator, 360-705-7070 |
OLYMPIA – When and how should the state consider
tolling as a funding option for transportation projects? What should
the state’s role be in freight and passenger rail? Which highway
and roadway corridors carry the bulk of Washington’s freight and
goods? These are some of the topics the Washington State Transportation
Commission will consider when it meets next week in Olympia.
The Commission’s monthly meeting begins at 9 a.m. on Tuesday,
December 13 and reconvenes at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, December 14. It will
be held at the Transportation Building, 310 Maple Park Avenue S.E, Olympia,
and is open to the public.
The primary focus of Tuesday’s session will be the statewide tolling
feasibility study. Commissioners will discuss a draft interim report
that is being prepared for the 2006 legislature, and will be considering
a plan for public outreach aimed at introducing the concept of tolling
and providing an opportunity for citizens to offer feedback. The goal
of the study is not to produce a list of proposed toll projects, but
rather to develop a policy framework for when, where and how tolls may
be used in Washington. A final report with the Commission’s recommendations
will be delivered to the legislature in late June 2006. View
more information on the Commission’s tolling study.
On Wednesday, the Commission is expected to announce its selection of
a consultant to carry out a statewide rail study. The legislature mandated
the study as part of the 2005 – 2007 transportation budget. The
scope of work for the study includes a look at the role of rail in the
economy, examining statewide passenger and freight rail capacity and
needs, and suggesting policy options for the state’s investment
in rail. The study is expected to kick off in January with a final report
due to the legislature in December 2006. Read
more about the Rail Study here.
Also on Wednesday, Washington Department of Transportation staff will
present an update of the Washington State Freight and Goods Transportation
System report. The report identifies highways and roadways most heavily
used by trucks, and classifies these facilities according to the average
annual truck tonnage they carry. This information is used to support
funding for projects that improve freight transportation, and supports
planning for pavement upgrades, congestion management and other investment
decisions.
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