PSRC Funding Application Competition Regional FTA Application Main Competition Status submitted Submitted: March 17th, 2017 3:25 PM Prepopulated with screening form? Yes Project Information 1. Project Title Puyallup Station Access Improvements 2. Transportation 2040 ID 4084 3. Sponsoring Agency Sound Transit 4. Cosponsors N/A 5. Does the sponsoring agency have "Certification Acceptance" status from WSDOT? N/A 6. If not, which agency will serve as your CA sponsor? N/A 7. Is your agency a designated recipient for FTA funds? Yes 8. Designated recipient concurrence N/A Contact Information 1. Contact name Kirste Johnson 2. Contact phone 2063985402 3. Contact email [email protected] Project Description 1. Project Scope Construct multimodal access improvements at the Sounder Puyallup Station including approximately 669 new parking stalls (an estimated 503 of these will come from a new garage near the station with an additional 166 surface parking spaces along the north side of 3rd Avenue Northwest); sidewalk, pedestrian lighting and bicycle amenities in the station area; and a pedestrian bridge from the garage over 5th St NW to the Sounder Station platform. The grant request will complete the construction phase. Sound Transit is expanding its Sounder south line commuter rail service (Lakewood to Seattle) from the current 22 weekday train trips to 26 weekday train trips in September 2017, an increase in services that will benefit development in regional growth centers. The ST2 Plan includes funding for access improvements to existing Sounder Stations. This grant request builds on the results of the Sounder Station Access and Demand Study (ST Board Motion No. M2010-70). The study identified a range of potential access improvements that Sound Transit could implement that would support riders using alternative modes of travel to Sounder stations. In April 2016, the Sound Transit Board of Directors adopted Resolution #R2016-07 selecting the bicycle, pedestrian, and parking access improvements to be built for the Puyallup Access Improvement Project. SUMMARY OF BENEFITS: • Sounder service provides reliable and efficient transportation serving a total of 10 centers: seven Regional Growth Centers (Seattle Downtown, Tukwila, Kent, Auburn, Puyallup Downtown, Tacoma Downtown and Lakewood); and three Manufacturing/Industrial Centers (Duwamish, Sumner-Pacific and Port of Tacoma) in a corridor with 53,372 residents and 277,668 jobs • A trip on Sounder from Puyallup Station to downtown Seattle takes 48 minutes. Driving from Puyallup to Seattle in the peak commute time can take up to 1 hour and 50 minutes. Riding Sounder can save approximately 2 hours per day as compared to driving. (Source: Google maps driving time, arriving in Seattle at 8am) • The access improvements are located in the Puyallup Center and support future housing • The access improvements are located in the Puyallup Center and support future housing and employment development in Puyallup Downtown. • Increase capacity for existing and future riders including an additional 1,203 riders projected by 2035, potentially resulting in a 50% daily ridership increase (based on ST ridership model using PSRC land use estimates – a range is provided per a recommendation from a state audit, and the mid-point was assumed) • Minimize adverse impacts to the natural and built environments by reducing vehicles miles traveled by 37,293 per day and CO2 emissions by 8,993 kilograms per day • Safe, multimodal access to Sounder station areas, focusing on pedestrian improvements within ¼ mile and bicycle improvements within ½ mile. Per Sound Transit’s System Access Policy (ST Board Resolution No. R2013-03), when designing transit facilities and services, Sound Transit will maximize pedestrian, bike and transit access 2. Project Justification, Need, or Purpose Residents of Pierce County face challenging conditions traveling from home to jobs in downtown Seattle and other employment centers. Traffic congestion increased almost 36% between 2013 and 2015 on Puget Sound-area highways with nearly 68% of I-5 peak direction miles routinely congested. Transit absorbed some of the demand as I-5 would need five extra lanes to carry more than 56,000 commuters who ride buses between Everett, Seattle and Federal Way, if all those people drove alone. The percentage of days the Federal Way to Seattle commute operated in severely congested (36 mph or below) condition worsened between 2013 and 2015. At around 7:30 a.m. during the morning commute from Federal Way to Seattle, the percentage of days speeds were below 36 mph worsened from 82% in 2013 to 94% in 2015. Delays doubled between Federal Way, Tacoma and Olympia, where military traffic, construction and sprawl create a force multiplier. The average speed on southbound I- 5 through Fife slipped below 36 mph on more than 90 percent of afternoons (WSDOT 2016 Corridor Capacity Report) State Routes (SR) 512 and 167 serve as the eastern bypass to I-5. Like I-5, SR 167 is one of the key commute and economic corridors in the central Puget Sound region connecting residents of Pierce and south King counties to jobs located in the Seattle/Bellevue/Renton urban area. Accounting for inflation, median home prices in Washington rose 11.6% between 2013 and 2015. Often, the highest home prices are in high density urban and employment centers, making it unaffordable for people to live near their jobs. By the year 2030, at least 100,000 more people will likely be living along the SR 512/167 corridor. Without alternative commute options, employees end up driving alone to work, using up roadway capacity, increasing congestion, and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Due in part to highway capacity constraints, traffic at specific locations on the SR 167 corridor worsened from 2013 to 2015, with morning and evening weekday commutes experiencing severe congestion on a daily basis. Congestion also directly impacts the movement of goods as trucks accounted for 11% of the total daily traffic volume on the corridor in 2015. The largest freight distribution system in the region is located along SR 167 as well as one-third of the region’s trucking and storage facilities. Approximately 92% of manufacturers and 62% of other industries located in the Kent Valley use SR 167 and SR 512 highways to move their goods and commodities. Freight movement slowed by congestion increases the costs of goods, risking the region’s position in global and national markets. Starting in 2000, Sound Transit began providing commuter rail service between Tacoma and Seattle parallel to these congested corridors and since then, Sounder has seen significant ridership growth even with parking garages filled to capacity by 6 a.m. and riders having to find other ways to access the system. In 2016, Sounder carried 4.2 million riders, an 8.1% increase over 2015 ridership levels. As of January 2017, the service is averaging over 17,000 passengers each weekday. Current (2016) ridership at Puyallup Station averages 2,797 boardings each weekday. To meet demand and continue to provide an alternative to driving the heavily congested I-5 and SR 167 corridors, Sound Transit will be expanding its south line Sounder commuter rail service from the current 22 weekday train trips to 26 weekday train trips by September 2017, an additional four train trips per weekday. ST3 includes a program of capital elements that will be used to improve South Sounder access, capacity, and services in response to increases in demand. From 8- 11 million people are expected to use Sounder in 2040, more than doubling current ridership - approximately 1,203 new riders per weekday in Puyallup alone. The success of Sounder commuter rail service has resulted in parking garages and lots along the Sounder south line operating at or above capacity and vehicle traffic negatively impacting local streets, neighborhoods, and downtowns. Parking at Sounder stations is full by the second morning train, before 6:00 am, including Puyallup Station. Some Puyallup surface lots have utilization rates of 144% (percentages of utilization exceeding 100% are due to vehicles being parked outside of marked spaces). According to the Sounder Station Access Study, 64% of riders accessed Sounder by car; 21% by bus; 11% via drop off; 2.5% by bike and 1.5% walk. Travel traffic creates delays at intersections during morning and evening commute hours. As population and employment grows, congestion will substantially increase with exhaust from single-occupancy vehicle engines negatively impacting health and contributing to climate change. Needing to respond to current access challenges and future demand, Sound Transit completed the Sounder Stations Access Study (2012) which evaluated parking, traffic, pedestrian and bicycle improvements that could improve rider access to the stations and benefit local communities. The study found access improvements identified for Puyallup Station will provide the following benefits: • Reliable and efficient transportation option serving seven Regional Growth Centers: Seattle Downtown, Tukwila, Kent, Auburn, Puyallup Downtown, Tacoma Downtown and Lakewood; and three Manufacturing/Industrial Centers: Duwamish, Sumner-Pacific, and Port of Tacoma in a corridor with 53,372 residents and 277,668 jobs • A trip on Sounder from Puyallup Station to downtown Seattle takes 48 minutes. Driving from Puyallup to Seattle in the peak commute time can take up to 1 hour and 50 minutes. Riding Sounder can save approximately 2 hours per day as compared to driving. (Source: Google maps driving