Transportation Operators Committee Agenda Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2020 from 10:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. Online Meeting Only: Use BlueJeans Connection Information Provided Below 1. Welcome and Introductions (10:00) 2. Action: Approval of Meeting Summary – April 22, 2020* (10:05) 3. Action: Kitsap Transit Redistribution Request* (10:10) 4. Action: 2020 Project Selection Recommendations* (10:15) • FTA 2023-2024 earned share and preservation set-aside. • FTA 2023-2024 regional competition 5. Discussion: Transit Funding Discussion at TPB Transit Caucus (10:35) This is an opportunity to debrief on the June 11, 2020 TPB Transit Caucus discussion about transit funding and talk about next steps. 6. Discussion: 2020 Transit Integration Report Initiation (11:00) PSRC staff are initiating work on the 2020 Transit Integration Report. We are soliciting TOC member input to begin this work, to be completed in fall 2020. 7. Discussion: 2022 Regional Transportation Plan Transit Topics and Timeline (11:15) PSRC staff will share a timeline of the 2022 Regional Transportation Plan process with a focus on TOC and transit agency inputs and their timing. 8. Discussion: Puget Sound Passenger-only Ferry Update (11:30) PSRC staff will share a brief update on the status and next steps associated with the Puget Sound Passenger-only Ferry Study. 9. Discussion: Transit Agency Roundtable (11:45) As time permits, transit agency staff will provide updates on agency projects, operations and issues related to COVID-19, etc. 10. Information: 2020 Planned Meeting Topics* 11. Next Meeting: August 26, 2020 Calendar Link: https://www.psrc.org/sites/default/files/toc2020-calendar.pdf Transportation Operators Committee Agenda - Page 1 June 24, 2020
Transcript
Transportation Operators Committee Agenda
Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2020 from 10:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.
Online Meeting Only: Use BlueJeans Connection Information Provided Below
1. Welcome and Introductions (10:00)
2. Action: Approval of Meeting Summary – April 22, 2020* (10:05)
Explanation: The redistribution is needed because KT has additional operating assistance needs due to the financial impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore,
KT requests to redistribute $6,457,000 in Bremerton UZA FFY 2019 and 2020 FTA 5307 Earned Share funds from its "Bus and OTR Coach Purchase" to its "KT
Transit Operations (2018-2020)" project. After the redistribution, KT will reduce the "Bus and OTR Coach Purchase" project scope by approximately twelve
vehicles. The "KT Transit Operations (2018-2020)" project will use the increase in funding from the redistribution to support approximately 80,700 additional
hours of operations.
Request: Kitsap Transit (KT) requests a redistribution of $6,457,000 in Bremerton UZA FFY 2019 and 2020 FTA 5307 Earned Share funds between the projects
identified below.
Transportation Operators Committee Agenda Item 3 June 24, 2020
Item 4 MEMORANDUM June 24, 2020
To: Transportation Operators Committee (TOC)
From: Sarah Gutschow, Senior Planner
Subject: 2020 Project Selection Process for PSRC’s FFY 2023-2024 Federal Transit Administration Funds
Every two to three years PSRC undertakes a project selection process to distribute funds from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The FTA funds are distributed within three urbanized areas (UZAs) in the region: Bremerton, Marysville, and Seattle-Tacoma-Everett (STE). The project selection process for PSRC’s FTA funds includes an earned share distribution to the Bremerton and Marysville UZAs, since only one transit agency operates within each of those UZAs. Within the STE UZA, FTA funds are distributed via an earned share process and a regional competition. Per adopted policy, 45% of the regional portion of funds is recommended to preservation projects under the preservation set-aside. Based on the policies contained in the adopted 2020 Policy Framework for PSRC’s Federal Funds, a Call for Projects was released in February 2020 for the distribution of an estimated $342 million of PSRC’s FFY 2023-2024 FTA earned share and STE UZA regional competitive funds. Additional background information on the details of the project selection process may be found on PSRC’s website at: https://www.psrc.org/our-work/funding/project-selection/fhwa-and-fta-regional-funding.
On June 10, 2020, the Regional FTA Caucus finalized its recommendations to the TOC for the projects to receive earned share funds and STE UZA regional competitive funds, including a prioritized contingency list of projects should additional funds become available prior to the next process. These recommendations are contained in Attachments A, B, C and D.
Recommended Action
The Transportation Operators Committee should recommend the following:
• The Transportation Policy Board should recommend approval by the Executive Board ofthe projects recommended for PSRC’s FFY 2023-2024 FTA earned share fundingdistributions, preservation set-aside in the STE UZA, and list of projects to receivefunding from the regional FTA competition, including a prioritized contingency list ofprojects should additional funds become available, as identified in Attachments A, B, C,and D.
Discussion PSRC’s Executive Board adopted the 2020 Policy Framework for PSRC’s Federal Funds in February 2020. The Policy Framework details the regional policy direction and guidelines for the selection of projects to receive PSRC’s federal funds. The 2020 Policy Framework maintains the policy direction of support for the development of centers and the corridors that serve them. There are three urbanized areas, or UZAs, in the PSRC region: Bremerton, Marysville and Seattle-Tacoma-Everett. PSRC coordinates with FTA and the public transit agencies operating within each UZA to conduct the process to distribute PSRC’s FTA funds to projects. Per adopted regional policy, the process used to recommend and select projects to receive the funds is split between an “earned share” process and a regional competition. Funds come to the region based on the service and operating characteristics of each transit agency, as well as from regional attributes such as population density. Since there is only one transit agency operating in the Bremerton and Marysville UZAs, respectively, funds are distributed to these two UZAs based on their earnings. Within the STE UZA, approximately 86% of the FTA funds are based on the service and operating characteristics of each transit agency and are therefore distributed via the earned share process. The remaining 14% of the funds in the STE UZA are based on regional attributes, and since 2004 this portion of the funds has been used for a regional competition. Per adopted policy, 45% of the regional portion of funds is recommended to preservation projects under the preservation set-aside, which is distributed to transit agencies via their earned share percentages. Twelve projects were submitted into the FTA regional competition, requesting almost $58 million for the approximately $28 million available. Projects were scored and ranked by PSRC staff based on the agreed upon Regional Project Evaluation Criteria. The criteria include the following: benefit to a regional and/or locally identified center; system continuity/long-term benefit/sustainability; air quality and climate change; and project readiness/financial plan. The Regional FTA Caucus met on June 10, 2020 to recommend projects for funding to the TOC. In addition to the project scores, the Caucus agreed to consider the following additional factors in preparing their recommendation: geographic equity, agency equity, modal equity, project completion / implementation, and the ability to fund as many projects as possible. The Caucus unanimously recommends the list of projects as identified in Attachment C, which represents funding for seven projects. The attachment notes where any project is accepting a reduced funding amount, with the resulting adjustment in scope or agreement by the sponsor to fully fund the phase with local funds. Schedule The TOC recommendation for PSRC’s 2020 project selection process for FFY 2023-2024 FTA funds will be presented to the Transportation Policy Board on July 9, 2020 for its recommendation to Executive Board. The Executive Board is scheduled to take final action on July 23rd. The draft 2021-2024 Regional Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) will be released for public comment in September, and the final TIP will be sent to the state in October, with federal approval expected in January 2021. For more information please contact Sarah Gutschow at (206) 587-4822 or [email protected], or Kelly McGourty at (206) 971-3061 or [email protected].
Priority #1: Any additional FTA competitive funds received in the region will be used to advance projects on the recommended list of projects, identified in Attachment 1.
Priority #2: After Priority #1 on the contingency list is satisfied, the following projects, in priority order, will be considered for funding up to the amount identified.
Sponsor Project TitleTotal
ScorePhase
Amount
Requested
Contingency
AmountDescription
Sound Transit
Buses for the New SR
522/NE 145th Bus Rapid
Transit Service 85 OTH $ 7,000,000 $ 727,310
This project will purchase six battery electric high capacity transit buses to support Sound Transit’s new
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Stride service that will connect the communities of Shoreline, Seattle, Lake
Forest Park, Kenmore, Bothell, and Woodinville along NE 145th/522. This new service offers 8 miles of
bus service connecting to Link light rail at Shoreline South/145th and I-405 BRT in Bothell, as well as
connections to other transit service provided by Community Transit and King County Metro. The
recommended amount of funding for this project is lower than the amount requested, so the remaining
funds were placed on the contingency list. Sound Transit will use the remaining funding on the
contingency list to purchase one additional bus as requested for this project phase.
King County
Metro
RapidRide K Line: Speed
and Reliability
Improvements 71 CN $ 6,000,000 $ 6,000,000
This project scope will construct and implement transit speed and reliability improvements for the
RapidRide K Line, which is scheduled to begin service in 2025. RapidRide K Line will operate between
the Kirkland Totem Lake Regional Growth Center and the Eastgate Park and Ride in Bellevue.
Proposed improvements include construction of bus lanes, queue jumps, turning restrictions, bus bulbs,
signal timing optimization, bus stop spacing management, transit signal priority, turn lanes, traffic
channelization improvements, and layover improvements.
Sound Transit
NE 130th Street Infill
Station 69 CN $ 7,300,000 $ 7,300,000
This project will construct a new elevated, side platform light rail station at NE 130th Street and I-5 in
North Seattle. This funding request will complete construction of the station platforms and canopies,
plaza and other station finishes. The NE 130th Street Infill Station will be constructed along with the
Lynnwood Link Extension light rail corridor serving the Lynnwood and Northgate Regional Growth
Centers and connecting to a total of five centers. The 130th St Infill Station includes a street-level plaza,
bus and paratransit transfer facilities, sidewalks, and bicycle infrastructure.
City of Seattle
Northgate to Downtown
Transit improvements 68 PE $ 1,000,000 $ 1,000,000
This project will construct transit spot improvements and multimodal corridor improvements along King
County Metro Route 40, including bus priority lanes at pinch points; traffic signal optimization at
intersections; bus stop rebalancing; conversion of bus stops at approximately five intersections to in-lane
bus stops; and bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure upgrades. This route provides transit connections to
destinations in North and Central Seattle, including Northgate, Greenwood, Crown Hill, Ballard, Fremont,
South Lake Union, and Downtown Seattle. The City of Seattle originally requested both the preliminary
engineering and construction phases, but only the construction phase was recommended for funding.
The preliminary engineering phase was placed on the contingency list.
King County
Metro
Route 36 Speed and
Reliability Corridor
Improvements 63 CN $ 2,449,000 $ 2,449,000
This project will make transit speed and reliability improvements on congested segments and
bottlenecks along Metro Route 36, a trolleybus route operating between Othello Link Light Rail Station
and Downtown Seattle via Beacon Hill and a planned future RapidRide Corridor. The project would
construct treatments, including bus lanes, queue jumps, turning restrictions, transit signal priority,
layover/bus zone improvements, bus stop optimization, restrictions, transit signal priority, layover/bus
zone improvements, bus stop optimization, trolleywire modifications and other treatments to improve
transit speed and reliability. Bus stop access upgrades would include adding bus bulbs, improved
lighting, improved high visibility crosswalks street crossings, and possible sidewalk and bike connection
reconstruction adjacent to new bus stops or bus bulbs.
Pierce Transit
Spanaway Transit Center -
Phase II 54 CN $ 4,000,000 $ 2,000,000
This project will provide a bus turnaround and layover facility to serve the new Pacific Avenue S/State
Route 7 BRT corridor at the southern end of the Route 1 Corridor in Spanaway. The facility will include
an operators' comfort station and add up to 250 parking spaces to the Park-and-Ride, based on
predicted parking demand. In addition, the agency may construct electric vehicle or Battery-Electric Bus
charging infrastructure on-site. As the amount of recommended funding is lower than the amount
requested, Pierce Transit reduced the amount of parking in the project scope. The additional parking
from the original project scope was placed on the contingency list.
City of Seattle
Seattle Center Monorail
Station Improvements 54 CN $ 4,800,000 $ 4,800,000
This project will increase the Seattle Monorail system capacity by improving the handling capacity,
passenger flows, accessibility, safety, security, and all-weather accommodations of the Seattle Center
Monorail Station. Project components include adding automated passenger gates at the Monorail
platform edge; making the station’s main entrance ADA accessible; covering passenger staging; leveling
the station platform and train floor for better ADA compliance; making queuing areas more efficient; and
improving passenger signage, wayfinding, and regional transit information.
Attachment D: Regional FTA Caucus Recommended Contingency List for PSRC's 2020 Regional FTA Competition
