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A Six-Year Action Package to Maintain and Enhance the Metropolitan Transportation System in the Central Puget Sound Region

Summary Report

September 17, 1996

The 1995 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) identifies approximately $21 billion of currently unfunded transportation improvements needed to maintain and enhance regional mobility over the next 25 years. The Six-Year Action Package is designed to serve as an information resource as local and state policymakers consider transportation financing issues and decisions over the coming months. It is intended to help these officials make the investment decisions needed to implement the MTP and will be updated every two years to reflect actions taken and amendments defined. The major questions it addresses are: 1) Of the identified funded transportation needs, which should be implemented in the near term to provide the greatest benefit? and 2) How, and to what extent, should the region pursue additional revenues to implement the unfunded portion of the MTP?

Table of Contents

I. What is a Six-Year Action Package?

II. What Are the Issues? - describes regional transportation issues and needs based upon information contained in the region's Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) and analyses of other information and data obtained from various sources.

III. What Can We Afford? - provides a description of the region's current financial capacity to fund all of the local improvement programs contained in the Six-Year Transportation Improvement Programs (TIPs) prepared by local governments and transit agencies to meet the requirements of the state Growth Management Act. In addition, costs are identified for maintenance, operation and preservation of existing transportation facilities, and additional capital investments are identified above and beyond those in the Six-Year TIPs. These costs have then been compared with anticipated revenues, to identify a major shortfall in the region's ability to finance needed transportation programs.

IV. What Should We Do First? - describes the strategic actions the region should consider with respect to the types of transportation investments it makes.

V. What Are Our Funding Options? - identifies the major revenue enhancement options and possible ways to finance them.

VI. Schedule for Review of the Six-Year Action Package - describes the review schedule that has been established to generate public discussion and debate on the Draft Six-Year Action Package.

Appendices - details and more details

--A - Analysis of Regional Transportation Needs

--B - Travel Demand Model Results

--C - Financial Profiles Report

--D - Summary of Regional Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program

--E - Local Government Unfunded Needs

--F - Washington Department of Transportation Unfunded Needs

--G - Chronology of Review/Actions Associated with Development of the Action Strategy

--H - List of Government Entities, Agencies and Organizations Participating in Development of the Action Strategy

More detailed information about this planning work and a copies of relevant publications can be obtained from the Information Center at the Puget Sound Regional Council, 464-7090. E-mail address: psrc@psrc.wa.com Ralph Cipriani, the key staff person at the PSRC for this task, provided this information.

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Last modified: September 27, 1996