Funding Application
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1 of 23 Funding Application Competition Regional FHWA Application Type Corridors Serving Centers Status submitted Submitted: April 20th, 2018 10:30 AM Prepopulated with screening form? No Project Information 1. Project Title South Sounder Capacity Expansion 2. Regional Transportation Plan ID 4087 3. Sponsoring Agency Sound Transit 4. Cosponsors N/A 5. Does the sponsoring agency have "Certification Acceptance" status from WSDOT? Yes 6. If not, which agency will serve as your CA sponsor? N/A Contact Information 1. Contact name Lisa Wolterink 2. Contact phone 206-689-3359 3. Contact email [email protected] Project Description 1. Project Scope This request for CMAQ funding will complete the design and right-of-way phases needed to expand Sounder South line capacity, including extending station platforms to accommodate 10-car trains, station-area non-motorized and bus access improvements and track and signal upgrades needed for additional capacity. Longer, 10-car Sounder trains will add an estimated 10,374 commuter rail riders each weekday. Project Description This request for regional CMAQ funding will complete the design and right-of-way needed to expand Sounder South line capacity, including: • Extending station platforms to accommodate 10-car train sets (Sounder currently runs 7-car trains) • Track and signal improvements such as additional main line track, turnouts and gated signals. Track improvements along sections of the corridor from Bay Street/TR Junction in Tacoma to King Street Station in Seattle Tacoma to King Street Station in Seattle 2 of 23 • Pedestrian access and safety improvements within one-quarter mile of the stations, such as pedestrian paths, pedestrian bridges and signage • Bicycle access and safety improvements within one-half mile of the stations, such as bike paths, signage and bike lockers • Bus access improvements, such as expanded or new drop off/pick up areas at the stations and additional bus/transfer facilities at the stations. • Final decisions on non-motorized/bus access improvements will be determined during the design phase. (This grant request is for the Design phase). Sound Transit will work cooperatively with local jurisdictions and transit agencies as this project is designed and implemented. • Sounder would remain operational during the construction period. A major purpose of Sounder commuter rail is to connect centers, consistent with regional plans. The 46.6 mile South Sounder line serves eight (8) designated Regional Growth Centers in Pierce and King Counties, with stations in Lakewood, South Tacoma, Tacoma Downtown, Puyallup Downtown, Sumner, Auburn, Kent, Tukwila and Seattle CBD. The project also serves four (4) Manufacturing and Industrial Centers: Duwamish, Kent, Sumner-Pacific and Port of Tacoma. Sound Transit currently runs 26 Sounder South line trips on weekdays, with frequencies every 20 minutes during peak hours. Sounder also provides service to select Mariners, Seahawks and Sounder games and other special events. The Sounder South line averaged nearly 16,000 weekday boardings in 2017 - a 5.5% increase over 2016 ridership levels. With increasing ridership, some Sounder trains are standing-room only. This project helps meet the growing demand for Sounder service by increasing system capacity, allowing commuter rail to carry more riders. South Sounder Average Weekday Boardings 2017 = 16,000 2032 = 25,600 2042 = 28,200 - 35,900 Source: 2017 actual ridership and ST3 modeling Project Benefits • Longer, 10-car trains will add an estimated 10,374 commuter rail riders each weekday. • The additional ridership is expected to reduce 66.6 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) annually on the congested I-5 and SR 167 corridors. • Puget Sound Clean Air Agency estimated that the VMT reduced from this project will reduce 49.7 tons of CO, 2.7 tons of NOx, 17,840 tons of CO2, 0.103 tons of PM10 and 0.095 tons of PM2.5 • Track and signal upgrades will increase rail capacity. This capacity is needed for the Sounder line to be extended (in the future) to new stations at Tillicum and DuPont, increasing access near Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Increased rail capacity is also needed for the potential to add additional Sounder train trips. • Sounder south line connects 8 regional growth centers and 4 MICs with populations totaling 78,300 (37,500 households) and 299,502 jobs in Pierce and King counties. • A Sounder south line rider can reduce travel times by an average of 54 minutes per day as compared to driving or riding the bus in congested times. • Annually, this project can save nearly 2,423,663 hours of travel time, worth $32,598,265 in economic benefit (assuming the value of time is $13.45 per hr per TIGER guidelines). • Sounder operates commuter rail service approximately every 20 minutes during peak periods. Trains run at speeds up to 80mph. The span of service is 4:36 a.m. to 7:46 p.m. 2. Project Justification, Need, or Purpose Residents of Pierce and King Counties face challenging travel conditions from home to jobs in downtown Seattle and other large employment centers. This project will provide additional commuter rail capacity in the severely congested I-5 and SR 167 corridors. • Hours of delay on the central Puget Sound region’s freeways nearly doubled between 2010 and 2015, increasing by 95 percent. • I-5 through downtown Seattle is the fifth busiest highway section in the United States with 301,061 car trips per day. Without transit, it would require five additional SOV lanes to meet the capacity demand on this stretch of I-5. Speeds on I-5 HOV lanes expected to decrease 30%. • With many jobs located in the Seattle/Bellevue/Renton urban areas and affordable housing found in south-east King and north-east Pierce Counties, on a daily basis SR 167 is one of the most congested highways in Washington State. • PSRC’s VISION 2040 includes Seattle and Tacoma as “Metropolitan Cities,” which are intended to accommodate 32% of regional population growth and 42% of regional employment growth by the year 2040. “Core Cities” such as Auburn, Kent, Lakewood, Puyallup and Tukwila are intended to accommodate 22% of the region’s population growth and 29% of its employment growth by the year 2040. The Sounder south line serves all of these cities and will help provide high capacity transit capacity improvements serving the congested I-5 and SR 167 corridors. This additional transit capacity provided by this project will allow for more riders to take Sounder, reduce trips and VMT on I-5, and help people save time. 3 of 23 Background: Sounder service began in September 2000 following passage of the Sound Move ballot measure. In 2008, voters approved ST2 which provided additional funding for Sounder South trips and improved access. The 83-mile commuter rail system now connects 11 cities and on the Sounder South line, 26 trains operate each weekday. In 2016, voters approved the ST3 ballot measure. The ST3 plan provides the local funding for the Sounder Capacity Expansion project, including platform expansions to accommodate 10-car trains; nonmotorized and bus access improvements, track and signal upgrades to provide capacity for additional trips, acquisition of additional Sounder fleet to operate 10-car trains; and the extension of Sounder South to DuPont. This CMAQ request is for the Design and ROW phases for the platform expansions, the nonmotorized and bus access improvements and track and signal improvements. Future elements of the project will acquire additional Sounder fleet and extend the Sounder line to Dupont. Sound Transit is releasing an RFQ this month to begin development of the Sounder Strategic Development & Implementation Plan. This plan will help guide the implementation of the South Sounder Capacity Expansion project. The Plan will include strategic planning, including project prioritization and phasing/scheduling services, operational analysis, Station and TOD planning and analysis (relying on urban design, market analysis, and development strategy expertise); coordination with freight railroads, public, stakeholder, and elected official outreach and coordination; station access planning (considering parking/pedestrian/bicycle demand analysis needs and bus/transit integration), ADA compliance analysis and other information. Outreach on the Sounder Strategic Development & Implementation Plan will include stakeholder group/report, community analysis report, external engagement plan, outreach to underserved communities, public events and online engagement and open houses. Project Location 1. Project Location Sounder south line: Lakewood to Seattle (King and Pierce Counties) 2. Please identify the county(ies) in which the project is located. King, Pierce 3. Crossroad/landmark nearest the beginning of the project King Street Station 4. Crossroad/landmark nearest the end of the project Lakewood Station 5. Map and project graphics Maps___graphics___back-up_calcs.pdf Plan Consistency 1. Is the project specifically identified in a local comprehensive plan? Yes 2. If yes, please indicate the (1) plan name, (2) relevant section(s), and (3) page number where it can be found. This project is specifically identified in the ST3 voter approved plan. See pages 3 and 7. Sounder Commuter Rail is also included in the Washington State Rail Plan Integrated Freight and Passenger Rail Plan 2013-2035 Sounder commuter rail and the improvements in this project are consistent and supportive of goals and policies in local comprehensive plans. Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan includes many policies that support high capacity transit/commuter rail: DT-TP1 Recognize the critical role that high capacity transit corridors play, including the transit tunnel, in supporting the distribution of development density and the movement of goods and people within and through downtown. Seek to improve the system, through actions by the City, with Sound Transit and King County Metro Transit, and other transit agencies that: 1. provide capacity to meet forecast transit growth; 2. reduce travel time by transit; 3. reduce transit rider crowding on sidewalks; 4.