Members of Tacoma City Council are scheduled on July 7 to hear a presentation from the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) about the Transportation 2040 Plan.
At the April 30 study session, a representative from the PSRC provided Council a presentation on Transportation 2040, which is an updated plan to meet federal and state transportation planning requirements and to support the regional economic and growth strategy.
At Tuesday’s session, Council will have an opportunity to discuss comments they would like to provide to PSRC on the alternatives under consideration in the draft Transportation 2040 document.
Pursuant to the State Growth Management Act and multiple federal mandates, once Transportation 2040 is adopted by the PSRC, projected for April 2010, transportation projects and local comprehensive plans and grant funding decisions must be consistent with and implement this regional plan’s direction. The City is expected to bring forward its major transportation projects at this stage in order to have a good opportunity to see them considered for inclusion.
Tuesday’s study session will focus on formulating a final response to the draft alternatives under consideration for updating Transportation 2040. The regional transportation plan will address the mobility needs of the region’s projected growing population and will address all modes of travel. Comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) are due to the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) by July 13.
The City’s current list of Council approved major transportation projects that would meet the goals of Transportation 2040 include:
— I-5 HOV Direct Access at Tacoma Mall Boulevard; Status: Feasibility Study complete, not active, not listed in State Transportation Improvement Program;
— I-5 HOV Direct Access at Tacoma Dome Station; Status: Conceptual plans only, not active, not listed in State Transportation Improvement Program;
— SR-509 ramps at D Street; Status: Conceptual Plan only, Federal grant pending, local activity but not on listed in State Transportation Improvement Program;
— SR-167 Extension Port of Tacoma to Puyallup; Status: EIS and design substantially complete, active WSDOT project;
— Complete Tacoma’s Trail Plan and facilitate their connection to the Regional Trail System; Status: Active, phased construction on two of three trails.
The Council will not take public comment during the noon study session in the Tacoma Municipal Building North, 733 Market St., Room 16. Audio from the session will be broadcast live on TV Tacoma and on http://www.tvtacoma.com. On-demand audio archives are available on the Web within 24 hours of the meeting at http://www.tvtacoma.com .
