SENATE BILL REPORT
3ESSB 5764
As Passed Senate, January 16, 2002
Title: An act relating to maintaining and preserving transportation facilities and assets.
Brief Description: Maintaining and preserving transportation facilities and assets.
Sponsors: Senate Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Senators Shin, Horn, Winsley, Oke and Haugen; by request of The Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation).
Brief History:
Committee Activity: Transportation: 2/12/01, 3/8/01 [DPS].
Passed Senate: 4/4/01, 49-0.
First Special Session: Passed Senate: 4/30/01, 48-0.
Second Special Session: Passed Senate: 6/5/01, 44-2.
Passed Senate: 1/16/02, 48-0.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5764 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.
Signed by Senators Haugen, Chair; Gardner, Vice Chair; Eide, Finkbeiner, Horn, Jacobsen, Johnson, Kastama, McAuliffe, Oke, Patterson, Prentice, T. Sheldon, Shin and Swecker.
Staff: Greg Doss (786‑7341)
Background: The Governor and the Legislature created the Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation (BRCT) in 1998 to do the following: assess the local, regional and state transportation system; ensure that current and future money is spent wisely; make the system more accountable and predictable; and prepare a 20 year plan for funding and investing in the transportation system.
The BRCT made 18 recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature. Recommendation Five directs the state to invest in maintenance, preservation and improvement of the entire transportation system so that the transportation benchmarks can be achieved. Recommendation Thirteen suggests that the state and local governments link maintenance and preservation funds to best practices.
Summary of Bill: To receive state funding, a county that has assumed the transportation functions of a metropolitan municipal corporation, a county public transportation authority and a public transportation benefit area authority must submit a preservation management plan for certification by the Transportation Commission or its successor entity. This plan must contain an inventory of all the transportation system assets under the direction or control of the jurisdiction. In addition, the plan must contain a plan for preservation based on lowest life cycle cost methodologies.
During the 2001-2003 biennium, cities and towns must provide to the Transportation Commission preservation rating information on at least 70 percent of its total arterial network. The preservation rating information requirement increases in 5 percent increments in subsequent biennia. The rating system must be based on the Washington State Pavement Rating method or another method approved by the Transportation Commission.
The County Road Administration Board (CRAB) must establish standards of good practice for maintenance of transportation system assets. CRAB must develop a model maintenance management system for use by counties. Based on this model, counties must annually submit their maintenance management plans to CRAB. CRAB submits them to the Transportation Commission or its successor entity.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Requested on January 14, 2002.
Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.
Testimony For: Lowest life cycle methodologies should be supported. The Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation's recommendation supporting this methodology is to be commended.
Testimony Against: MAP service levels should not be placed in statute. The cities and counties are concerned with the price tag in trying to meet the maintenance management requirements in the bill.
Testified: Dan Snow, Executive Director, Washington State Transit Association (pro w/one drafting concern); Brian Ziegler, Assistant Secretary, WSDOT (support lowest life cycle methodologies); Jackie White, Association of Counties (concerns); Ashley Probart, Association of Washington Cities (concerns).