Brief Summary of Engrossed Bill

• Designates State Route 9 as a highway of statewide significance.

• Designates State Route 704, the cross-base highway, as a highway of statewide significance.

Majority Report: Do pass. Signed by 27 members: Representatives Murray, Chair; Rockefeller, Vice Chair; Simpson, Vice Chair; Ericksen, Ranking Minority Member; Jarrett, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Anderson, Armstrong, Bailey, Campbell, Clibborn, Cooper, Dickerson, Edwards, Flannigan, Hankins, Hatfield, Hudgins, Kristiansen, Lovick, Mielke, Morris, Nixon, Romero, Schindler, Wallace, Wood and Woods.

In 1998 the Legislature directed the Transportation Commission (Commission) to designate highways of statewide significance. At a minimum, this designation was to include interstate highways and other statewide principal arterials needed to connect major communities across the state and support the state's economy.

The Commission refined the criteria and designated certain highways as highways of statewide significance. For a highway to be designated as a highway of statewide significance the following criteria were set: the highway must be a state highway, a principal arterial that is part of the national highway system, and a rural route serving statewide travel, or an urban route with certain connectivity or freight volumes.

In 2002 the regional transportation investment district legislation empowered the Legislature to also designate state highways of statewide significance and made that designation of a portion of State Route 509. The legislation also required that 90 percent of district revenues be expended along highways of statewide significance corridors.

Designation of a highway route as a highway of statewide significance means the improvements along the route are higher priority. It also means that improvements are essential public facilities under the Growth Management Act (GMA) plans, GMA concurrency requirements do not apply, and the state is responsible for establishing a level of service standards.

The State Route 9 corridor from State Route 522 near Woodinville to the Canadian border is designated as a highway of statewide significance.

State Route 704 in Pierce County, commonly known as the cross-base highway, is designated as a highway of statewide significance. This highway is yet to be constructed.

Those highways designated by the Transportation Commission by Resolution No. 660, adopted January 21st, 2004, are designated as highways of statewide signficance (HSS). The resolution so designated five highways, including the two highways designated in the House version of the bill. The House version designated State Route (SR) 704 in Pierce County, commonly known as the cross base highway, and SR 9 from Woodinville to State Route 530 in Snohomish County as HSS. The House bill designated SR 9 from the Woodinville area to the Canadian Border as a HSS.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For: State Route 9 is a significant facility providing an alternative to the congested I-5 corridor. As part of the Regional Transportation Investment District plan for Snohomish County, it is one of the two highest priority corridors. A highway of statewide significance designation allows improvements to qualify for 90 percent of the district's funds.

Testified: Representative Cooper, prime sponsor; and John Koster, Snohomish County Council.