Will 2012 State Of The Union Be Transportation-Heavy?

President Obama gives his State of the Union speech tomorrow (Tuesday) night, and there's a lot of speculation on whether it will focus heavily on transportation again. Last year's speech had more references to transportation than the previous twenty State of the Union speeches.

Despite the talk though, there still hasn't been a federal transportation bill authorized in the year since that speech and many other transportation issues have remained status quo. Transportation Issues Daily tells us what we can expect and how you can weigh in on what the President said after the speech.

Survey Says: 2/3 Of WA Residents Willing To Pay More Taxes To Support Transportation System

Nearly 2/3 of Washington residents say they're willing to support an increase in state taxes and fees to support a transportation system, according to results released yesterday from a survey by the state Transportation Commission.

The Commission surveyed 5,500 residents in preparation for a 2012 transportation-related ballot measure that will likely include higher taxes.

The Seattle Times has survey results. And, as a side note, SRTC Board Member Joe Tortorellis is a member of the Washington State Transportation Commission.

House Transportation Bill 70%-80% Complete

For the longest time, the answer I have been giving to pretty much any transportation question is "We won't know until we have a new federal transportation bill." I've been saying that since 2009 now. So when will we have a transportation bill? Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) yesterday said that the House's version of the bill is 70% to 80% percent complete.

That proposed measure would spend anywhere between $230 and $285 billion on roads and bridges over six years. The Senate meanwhile has been working on a two-year, $109 billion package of bills that would spend more per year on road projects. "The Hill" has the latest.

Special SRTC Meeting To Develop Regional Priority Projects List

Mark your calendars because we've called a special Board Meeting for Tuesday, Nov. 22 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The meeting is here at our office (221 W. First Ave., Suite 310) and is a working session to develop a list of regional priority transportation projects.

Once developed, that list will be submitted to the Governor’s “Connecting Washington Task Force,” a group formed to develop a 10-year investing and funding plan for the state transportation system.

Statewide, Regional Transportation Planning Organizations, such as SRTC, are working to develop regional project priorities. Sometime in December they will be available for the public to view through a web based application (also known as a website) provided by the Puget Sound Regional Council.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is also expected to compile a list of state highway priority projects as well as the Washington State Transit Association (WSTA) for transit priorities.

The plan is to have the information available for consideration during the 2012 Legislature.

Everyone is welcome to observe the special meeting to develop this list, so feel free.

Senate Committee Passes Transportation Reauthorization Bill

The U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works just voted 18-0 to pass MAP-21, also known as "Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century," or the Transportation Reauthorization Bill.

It's not a done deal though. Three other committees still have to approve funding, transit, rail, and safety sections to be folded into one bill, and it probably won't happen immediately.

Much of today's hearing on the bill focused on amendments to it. Larry Ehl of Transportation Issues Daily has the amendments that were adopted, as well as those that were discussed and withdrawn.

I1125 Appears To Be Failing

It's looking like I1125, Tim Eyman's initiative to have elected officials set transportation tolls across the state, will not pass. This Seattle PI article has some interesting things to say about transportation initiatives, mostly in King County, even mentioning a reference to Eyman being compared to herpes. Yikes.

Proposed Transportation Bill Dissected

On Friday evening, Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer and Republican Senator Jim Inhofe released a summary and text of their proposal for a two-year surface transportation bill.

So that you don't have to read the whole thing to know what's in the bill, Transportation Issues Daily put together a handy guide of 13 Things You Will Want to Know; the Committee summary, and a link to the bill text.

Senate Votes On Two Transportation Jobs Bills Today

Today the Senate will vote on two transportation jobs bills. But don't get too excited, because neither is expected to get the required 60 votes to pass.

Why? Transportation Issues Daily has the answer.

Amendment Voted Down That Would Have Given 'Enhancements' Money to Bridge Repair

Republican senators yesterday failed in their third recent effort to eliminate federal money for bike paths, walking trails and other transportation enhancement projects.

An amendment by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was defeated that would have forbidden the government from spending any money on enhancement projects and re-directed funds to bridge repairs.

According to this New York Times article though, this issue is expected to come up again soon.

Voters Support A Lot Of Things, But Not So Much Initiative 1125

What's more popular in Washington State than the anti- tolling Initiative 1125? Oh let's see; President Barack Obama, gay marriage, and marijuana legalization. And Mitt Romney has almost as much support as the measure.

That's right, according to the newly released 'Washington Poll,' all those issues have more support among Washington State voters than the ballot measure that would essentially prevent future tolling in the State. Transportation Issues Daily has the story- and the numbers.

New Transportation Bill May Not Require 'Enhancements'

The argument continues behind the scenes as to whether federal funds should continue to be spent on transportation 'enhancements,' such as pedestrian safety, bicycle trails, landscaping and historic preservation.

Currently states and metropolitan planning organizations are required to fund enhancements. House Transportation Committee Chair John Mica
says though that they won’t be included in the long-term (transportation) funding bill he expects to produce this fall. 'Planetizen' has the whole story.

How Does I-1125 Affect Our Side Of The State?

I got my ballot in the mail last week and have been going through my voters guide. Being in transportation, my biggest concern has been with I-1125, Tim Eyman's bill to give the state legislature the job of setting transportation tolls, and setting restrictions on them.

It's been years since we've had a toll around here though, so should we even care how this vote goes? Both supporters and opponents of the initiative say a resounding "YES." Eyman says it comes down to democracy for those of us on the east side of the state, while former state Transportation Secretary and spokesman against the measure, Doug MacDonald, says we should care for financial reasons.

The Spokesman-Review has more on how I-1125 it could affect us on this side of the state.

Senate To Consider Three Transportation Bills Next Week

Save your strength this week because next week is going to be big on the national transportation front. A Senate Committee will publish and hold a hearing on a detailed proposal for the next highway/transit bill this week and the full Senate will debate and vote on an infrastructure jobs bill and the 2012 USDOT funding bill.

The Transportation Issues Daily Blog has details on each of those bills.

McCain Anti-Squirrel & Highway Coffee Pot Measure Defeated

The U.S. Senate yesterday defeated a bid by Sen. John McCain to stop funneling federal funds to transportation museums, highway beautification and preservation of historic bridges.

McCain claimed that money needed to repair rundown roads was being diverted to projects like squirrel sanctuaries and car museums, but Senators said his measure would block Amtrak's use of many historic rail stations and the preservation of icons like New York's Brooklyn Bridge and New England's covered bridges.

McCain said recipients of money under the current program have included things as odd as a giant coffee pot. My favorite quote: "I'm a coffee drinker, and so I think a coffee pot is pretty nice," McCain said. But he added, "The fact is we have deficient bridges. We have highways that need repairs." Hmmm... he's got a point there.

For the full story, read this Seattle Times story.

Legislation Keeps USDOT Open Through Nov. 18

Here's something I missed yesterday: on Tuesday the House passed legislation to fund federal government operations through November 18. The Senate had passed the bill earlier. One of the agencies we were personally worried about having to shut down was the U.S. Department of Transportation. Here's more info from the Transportation Issues Daily Blog.

House To Vote On Bill To Fund USDOT

This is kind of a big deal: tomorrow (Tuesday) the House is scheduled to vote on a Senate-passed bill to fund USDOT and all other federal agencies from Tuesday through mid-November. Last week the Senate and House agreed on funding the government from last Saturday through Tuesday, just to prevent a shut down of those agencies. The Transportation Issues Daily blog is tracking these events so check it out.

Proposed Bill Would Maintain Highway & Transit Funding

2012 highway and transit funding would be maintained at current levels under a bill passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee late last week. The committee proposes $41.1 billion for highways and $8.34 for transit, compared to the House’s proposal of $27 billion and $5.2 billion respectively.

You can find more details on the Transportation Issues Daily blog.

SRTC Certification Review Public Meeting Tomorrow

Don't forget that tomorrow is the public meeting for SRTC's Planning Certification Review. Federal law requires that all Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs, of which SRTC is one) have a Planning Certification Review every four years, and ours starts tomorrow and goes through Thursday.

The process involves staff from the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration reviewing documents and programs we have worked on in the past four years, to make sure we're meeting all of our goals and federal guidelines. There is also two days of interviews with our Director and various staff members to cover all the areas of the review, including the Unified Planning Work Program, the transportation planning process, the Metropolitan Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Program, financial planning, project selection, air quality, public outreach, Title VI, transportation safety and security, land use and livability and MUCH more.

While a large part of the Certification Review is us sitting in a room answering questions, you also play a part. A public meeting is scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday) night to provide you opportunity to express thoughts and comments on the transportation planning process and how it meets the needs of the area. The meeting is from 5:30-7 p.m. at SRTC, 221 W. First Ave., Suite 310, Spokane, WA.

Obama Signs Transportation Bill Extention

President Obama late last week signed legislation to extend the federal transportation spending bill, SAFETEA-LU, through March 31 and aviation programs through January 31. The agreement authorizes SAFETEA-LU funding at fiscal 2011 levels, but the final funding level will be subject to fiscal 2012 appropriations agreements. Transportation Issues Daily has the details.

SRTC Federal Certification Review Public Meeting

At SRTC our role is to manage the transportation planning process and facilitate coordination between all the area jurisdictions when it comes to transportation. That includes channeling federal money for projects and programs through the planning process and to local projects. While we have many 'partner' agencies, a lot of people ask me who oversees that process and makes sure we're doing our job? Well, besides yearly audits and working closely with federal transportation agencies, federal law requires that all Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs, of which SRTC is one) have a Planning Certification Review every four years. Well guess what- it's our year.

The Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration will jointly conduct a review of SRTC from Sept. 27- 29, 2011. It's a very in-depth process covering all the areas we work in- the Unified Planning Work Program, the transportation planning process, the Metropolitan Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Program, financial planning, project selection, air quality, public outreach, Title VI, transportation safety and security, land use and livability and MUCH more. The process literally involves three days of interviews requiring us to show how we are meeting federal guidelines for all areas of the planning process as well as meeting or exceeding our own goals.

While a large part of the Certification Review is us sitting in a room answering questions, you also play a part. A public meeting will be held as part of the process to provide the public opportunity to express thoughts and comments on the transportation planning process and how it meets the needs of the area. The meeting is Tues., Sept. 27 from 5:30-7 p.m. at SRTC, 221 W. First Ave., Suite 310, Spokane, WA. This is your chance to 'grade' SRTC and help us improve our process, so take advantage of it. Any questions?