Everett Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC)

TAC MINUTES For October 18, 2018 In attendance: Members Staff Guests T.J. Fournier Ryan Sass, Public Works Bob Creamer William Weber Tim Miller, Public Works Victor Harris Sabina Popa, Transit Tyler Rourke Timothy Morgan, Police Richard Smith Heather Magnuson, Public Works Meeting called to order at 8:12 a.m. Chaired by Tyler Rourke  M/S/P for approval of the September 2018 Minutes. Announcements & Requests to Add Agenda Items  Victor – 10:18 earthquake drill, he said call your out of area person. Try it today. Communication is good Citizen’s Comments  Bob Creamer noted his concerns about how cold weather could affect battery charging of the new electric busses and asked how the City is preparing with winter approaching.  Sabina noted that it takes about two to four hours to charge an electric bus and that the City of Everett is currently charging them overnight. She clarified that colder weather should not be an issue with the electric busses the City has acquired, as the charging stations are made to be outside and last roughly eight to ten years. Transit is working to install the remaining charging stations. The new electric busses are being monitored closely to make sure there are no unexpected issues that arise. There is not currently a recycling plan in place for the batteries, but new batteries will have to be acquired and replaced by the manufacturer, Proterra. There is a possibility that the City could work out an energy storage program with PUD if the electric bus batteries conduct more energy than needed for Transit. Sabina noted that she would follow up with more specifics in a future meeting. Engineering Report  The Washington State Joint Transportation Committee visited Snohomish County, the City of Everett, and the City of Lake Stevens in order to put together a list of projects each jurisdiction will be seeking funding for.  100th St SW project from 4th Ave W to Airport Road. o Needed to support passenger air service terminal opening soon. o Project would include three vehicle lanes, bike lanes and sidewalks.   Through the WSDOT Connecting Washington Project, the City has received funding for six projects. o I-5 & 41st to W. Marine View Drive corridor improvements phase one has been completed o North Broadway Transit Improvements will start construction in November. o 526 Corridor Project and 1-5 peak shoulder usage:  Currently observing and studying traffic numbers  Early planning stages  Maple heights bridge seismic upgrade: o Request for qualifications has been published o Construction anticipated in 2020  Edgewater Creek Bridge replacement o Request for qualifications is being developed o Construction anticipated in 2021-2022  Ryan noted that completion of these two bridge projects will help to reduce the risk of seismic isolation for residents along this section of Mukilteo Boulevard.  Tyler asked if WSDOT has considered adding bike lanes on 529 o Tim responded that WSDOT is looking to improve conditions for bikes on 529, which was presented to TAC as an agenda item at a previous meeting. The alternatives they are looking at include implementing an under crossing and creating a grade separation at the north end interchange with I-5.  Victor asked about a rumor he heard that the Grand Avenue Park Bridge has been delayed because of a steel shortage. o Delay is not the result of a steel shortage. Some work was suspended due to winter work limitations, construction windows from BNSF and PUD. Bridge test assembly is proceeding during this time. Police Report  Sergeant Morgan reported on three vehicle related fatalities and one injury this weekend: o There was a health related issue on Boeing property that caused a car accident and death of one person. o A fatality occurred when a pedestrian intentionally jumped out in front of oncoming traffic on 529. o There was a motorcycle fatality at 112th and Evergreen. The driver accelerated and lost control of the motorcycle. o A vehicle at the intersection 75th and Seaway struck and injured a Boeing employee as they were attempting to catch the last bus of the night. The individual was not abiding by pedestrian laws when the vehicle struck them. Transit Report  Sabina provided a handout showing the 2019 fare increases, including the pricing for monthly passes. These increases will take place over two-stage schedule, rather than the four-step increase that was originally proposed. Everett Transit is looking to coordinate the introductory low-income fare with the rest of Snohomish County.  Transit is also currently working on flyers and bus advertisements, as well as updating the system for ORCA fare collection.  Everett Transit will experience some re-organization in 2019 as two management positions are going to be eliminated. Sabina will update the committee with more information as details are finalized.  Service plan for route in 2019 o Present to Council 11/14 --Show outreach and change made to route due to responses  Richard asked if Transit is anticipating the possibility of the new low-income fare to increase ridership and if it could cut into income.  Sabina noted that there are rate increases in addition to offering a low-income discount option. She stated that they will know more between January and March 2019, and that 2020 will show a better representation of profits.  Tyler asked about the possibility of including a grade separation crossing between pedestrians and vehicles at Boeing. o Ryan said a grade separated crossing will likely be evaluated as a part of the Sound Transit Light Rail project in the future depending on final station location. Agenda Items: Item 1: – US 2 Future Project Alternatives Informational Briefing – Ryan Sass  Ryan presented copies of the US2-SR204-20th Street SE Interchange Justification Report to the committee, which details existing travel patterns and recommendations for improvements to reduce congestion and collisions.  The report identifies near-term alternative improvement options that can be incorporated into the long-term goal of entirely replacing the westbound trestle.  The Recommended Action from the IJR includes the following elements: o US2 trestle to accommodate three general purpose lanes and one actively managed lane o The interchange would connect to the westbound US2 trestle with one lane from SR 204, one lane from 20th Street SE, and two lanes from US2 o Access to Ebey Island would be relocated from the trestle off-ramp to the intersection of SR204/20th Street SE.  The IJR identifies the need for the entire westbound trestle to be replaced around 2045, but Ryan believes it may need to be done sooner. Total replacement of the trestle will be a costly project. Assembling a funding package for the trestle will be a challenge and one that we need to be working on continuously.  There was a brief discussion regarding the idea of tolling to raise funding for the trestle replacement project.  William questioned if there will be space for non-motorized vehicles once the trestle is replaced. Ryan stated that Non-Motorized space will be provided on any new trestle.  Tyler commented on contradictory signage, a bike sign next to a no bike sign beyond the east end of the trestle. o Ryan noted that photos of the signage was sent to WSDOT along with a request to fix.  Ryan talked about voluntary pilot program in Oregon to track how much people drive. There are privacy issues at play. There could be an odometer alternative version for those who do not want to use GPS. In the future this type of “Vehicle Miles Travelled” (VMT) or “Road Usage Charge (RUC) will likely be proposed to supplement or replace the gas tax as the proportion of electric and other powered vehicles increases.  Adjourned at 9:50 am Next Scheduled Meeting: November 15, 2018