Lake Washington Urban Partnership

 

The Lake Washington Urban Partnership is a cooperative agreement to employ innovative transportation strategies that will improve traffic flow along SR 520 and I-90 between Seattle and the Eastside. A new variable tolling system could contribute up to $500 million to replace the aging SR 520 Lake Washington floating bridge .

The Urban Partnership, an agreement between the federal government, WSDOT, King County and the Puget Sound Regional Council , has four key elements:

• Tolling
• Technology and Traffic Management
• Transit
• Telecommuting

Traffic crosses the SR 520 Evergreen Point Floating Bridge (left).
A time-lapse photo captures the bridge at sunset (right).

What it means for Washington

• 	Enlarge map of the SR 520 bridge and corridor.
  	Video Animations This animation simulates what might happen to the SR 520 Floating Bridge and western approach during a severe earthquake. View the video on one of these links: RealPlayer Wndows Media Player You Tube

  King County would receive up to $41 million to purchase 45 new buses for the SR 520 corridor and make other transit improvements. 
• About $86 million would go toward developing and implementing active traffic management and traveler information systems and to support tolling operations on the SR 520 Bridge, pending future legislative decisions.
• The region could receive up to $11.6 million for improving state and King County ferry service.

SR 520 corridor right for partnership

State Route 520 is a major artery connecting I-5 to I-405 and Seattle to the region's core for hi-tech industry. The corridor is typically heavily congested during peak travel times, and traffic-flow improvements are vital to address ever-increasing demands.

The SR 520 Bridge (both Evergreen Point and Portage Bay bridges) have withstood numerous winter windstorms and small earthquakes since they were constructed in the early 1960s. Carrying 110,000 vehicles each day, almost double the capacity they were designed for, the bridge is worn and nearing the end of their lifespans. It must be replaced.

Both the existing bridge and the new bridge could be tolled to pay for its construction. Tolling also could be used to manage congestion. New technology will assist drivers and support the bridge replacement program. Telecommuting strategies could help manage traffic demand.

Tolling

	Tolling on SR 520 circa 1967.
	Artist's rendering of tolling on SR 520 in 2009.

The Washington State Legislature directed WSDOT to establish tolling as a means to help pay for construction and operation of a new bridge. The goal of the Urban Partnership is to use new technology to ease traffic congestion, better serve commuters and make bridges and highways more efficient.

Electronic tolling eliminates the need for toll booths, providing commuters with a faster, more reliable trip. The technology also allows toll prices to vary by time of day and traffic levels. The system manages demand and smooths traffic flow so more people can move through the corridor faster and safer. The Urban Partnership provides resources, a forum and incentive to begin a tolling program on SR 520.

Technology

Highway travel as we know it is undergoing a technological revolution. Innovations, such as variable tolling, will allow the SR 520 corridor and eventually a new bridge will provide commuters with

Artist's rendering of future technology on SR 520, including variable speed limits and electronic message boards.

a more reliable trip, even as population increases in Seattle and on the Eastside.

Improved technologies that soon will help get us to work on time include:

• Modern electronic tolling systems that combine customer convenience with effective enforcement and help pay for efficient bridges and highways
• Real-time driver information displayed electronically over each lane to better manage the system and improve safety, reliability and traffic flow
• State-of-the art information systems linking commuters to multiple transportation modes

Transit

A King County Metro bus approaches the Portage Bay Bridge.

The Urban Partnership will expand transit service along the 520 corridor to reduce auto trips and provide toll-free travel options. Variable tolling will assure transit and vanpool speed and reliability across the Lake. King County Metro's RapidRide bus rapid transit (BRT) program will reduce car dependency and increase the capacity and quality of transit. Improved rider information and SmartCard payment will make transit services more convenient and help increase capacity in the SR 520 corridor.

Two dozen bus routes in the SR 520 corridor carry 13,400 riders per day and 4,500 riders during the busiest morning hours. These buses carry 18 percent of all morning commuters to Seattle.

The partnership's goal for transit is to increase ridership on SR 520 by 15-35 percent and provide sufficient transit service capacity to accommodate commuters who choose to switch to transit when tolls are implemented. To further enhance transit services in the SR 520 corridor, WSDOT and its partners will seek additional funding through state and federal programs, grants and other revenue sources.

Telecommuting

The foundations of telecommuting are in place. As much as 80 percent of households in neighborhoods around this high-tech corridor have high-speed Internet access, an often necessary tool for telecommuting. More than 1,100 work sites participate in WSDOT's Commute Trip Reduction program. The Urban Partnership invests in telecommuting by working with employers to encourage flexible employment arrangements that improve worker productivity and reduce rush-hour traffic demands.

If all the participants in the CTR program returned to driving alone to work, peak-hour traffic delays in central Puget Sound would increase nearly 19 percent each weekday morning. CTR reduces traffic by 19,200 vehicle trips each weekday morning in the central Puget Sound.

What is an Urban Partnership?

Evergreen Point Floating Bridge

The Lake Washington Urban Partnership could provide significant federal funding to implement an variable tolling in SR 520 corridor as early as 2009. Tolls could raise up to $500 million to help pay for a new SR 520 floating bridge. Funding decisions are pending int he state Legislature and the Federal Highway Administration with more informaiton expected this spring.

The Urban Partnership Agreement is a major component of the United States Department of Transportation’s national strategy to reduce congestion . USDOT sought to form urban partnerships with state agencies by leveraging three grant programs that could amount to several hundred million dollars:

• Intelligent transportation systems operational testing to mitigate congestion (ITS-OTMC)
• The Value Pricing Pilot program (VPP)
• FTA’s Section 5309 discretionary grant program to support urban partnerships

The Lake Washington Urban Partnership demonstrated to USDOT that it plans to implement innovative congestion management strategies in the next two to three years that:

• Include variable tolling elements on an existing facility or facilities
• Demonstrate measurable congestion reduction
• Include technology, transit and telecommuting as complementary strategies to the pricing element

In addition to the Lake Washington partnership, the USDOT in August awarded Urban Partnership Agreements to:

• Miami : $63 million to convert HOV lanes to high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes on I-95 from Fort Lauderdale to downtown Miami.
• Minneapolis : $133.3 million to convert HOV lanes to HOT lanes and extend existing HOT lanes
• New York City : $354 million for a Manhattan tolling program and transit and ferry improvements
• San Francisco : $159 million for a variable pricing system on roadways accessing the Golden Gate Bridge

For more information contact:

Patty Rubstello , PE, Tolling and Systems Development Engineer
Urban Corridors Office
401 2nd Ave. S, Suite 400
Seattle, WA 98104
Phone: 206-464-1299

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