ESSB 6099

Title: An act relating to the state route number 520 bridge replacement and HOV project.

Brief Description: Hiring a mediator to help the department of transportation develop a state route number 520 expansion impact plan.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Senator Murray).

Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 6099 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.Signed by Senators Haugen, Chair; Marr, Vice Chair; Murray, Vice Chair; Swecker, Ranking Minority Member; Benton, Berkey, Clements, Delvin, Holmquist, Jacobsen, Kastama, Kauffman, Kilmer, Pflug and Spanel.

Background: The State Route 520 Evergreen Point Bridge is a one and a half mile, 42 year old bridge crossing Lake Washington in King County. The bridge is in need of replacement due to its vulnerability to seismic activity and storm events. In addition to the deteriorating physical condition, the current bridge lacks shoulders for disabled and emergency vehicles and experiences considerable amounts of congestion on a daily basis. A draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that lays out the options for replacement structures was published in August 2006. During the public comment period the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) received over 1,700 unique submissions. Due to the volume of submissions that need to be addressed in a final EIS the schedule for completion of the final EIS has been delayed.

Certain impacts of highway construction are required to be mitigated for, while other elements are often negotiated with local jurisdictions. WSDOT has held multiple public open houses, community meetings, and other events to involve various stakeholders in bridge replacement discussions.

Summary of Engrossed Substitute Bill: WSDOT must hire a mediator and urban, transportation and neighborhood planners to assist with developing an impact plan for the State Route 520 bridge replacement project. The plan will address impacts on Seattle neighborhoods, parks, the City of Seattle and institutions of higher education. The mediator must work to ensure the plan provides a comprehensive approach to mitigation impacts of the project.

The impact plan must be approved by the Transportation Commission 60 days prior to the Regional Transportation Investment District/Sound Transit vote in November 2007, or before the beginning of the 2008 Legislative Session.

WSDOT must hire the mediator within existing appropriations for the State Route 520 bridge replacement project. The mediator position is not to be a certified mediator with legally binding decision authority.

An emergency clause takes effect immediately. The emergency clause is needed in order to provide for timely implementation of an impact plan and to avoid delaying the State Route 520 EIS and bridge replacement project.

Effective Date: The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony on Original Bill: PRO: Lots of things can be done to make this project more palatable to the neighborhoods. This will hopefully result in a timely process that will allow mitigation decisions to be included in the design. WSDOT is often viewed as an advocate for a certain option and this bill will help with that. Seattle needs to develop a common vision for replacing the SR 520 bridge. We need ideas to bring everyone together on this project.

OTHER: Additional process will not make for a better project. This process may result in additional delays. A preferred alternative needs to be selected first, and then mitigation incorporated into that.

Persons Testifying: PRO: Senator Murray, prime sponsor; Theodore Lane, Roanoke Park Community Council; Robert Rosencrantz, Montlake Community Club.

OTHER: Jonathan Dubman, Betterbridge.Org; Mark Stoner, Laurelhurst Friends for the Pacific Street Interchange.

House Amendment(s): Strikes all material in the Senate bill. Intent language is added relating to the urgency of replacing the state route 520 bridge.

Mediator and Impact Plan: Directs the Office of Financial Management to hire a mediator and appropriate planning staff to develop a project impact plan for addressing the impacts of the project design on Seattle city neighborhoods and parks, including the Washington park arboretum, and institutions of higher education. Directs the mediator to work with all interested parties.

Requires that the mediator review the WSDOT's project design plans in the draft environmental impact statement for conformance with certain legislative goals, including the goals of minimizing the total footprint and width of the bridge and the project's impact on surrounding neighborhoods.

Permits the mediator to determine that certain additional alternative concept designs should be considered for the west end of the project, and to contract with an engineering firm to conduct an independent feasibility analysis of certain proposals. Requires that any such independent analysis be submitted to the Joint Transportation Committee by September 1, 2007, and that the mediator must hold a public hearing on the results.

Directs the mediator to provide to the Joint Transportation Committee and the Governor a progress report by August 1, 2007, and a final project impact plan by December 1, 2008.

State Route 520 Bridge Replacement Design & Construction: The project design is described as having six total lanes, with four general purpose lanes and two lanes that are for high occupancy vehicle travel that could also accommodate high capacity transportation, including bus rapid transit. The bridge must also be designed to accommodate light rail in the future.

Prohibits the WSDOT from beginning on-site construction on any part of the SR 520 project until it submits a finance plan to the Legislature that includes state funding, federal funding, at least $1.1 billion dollars in regional contributions, and revenue from tolling.

Multimodal Transportation Planning: Directs the Governor's Office to work with the WSDOT, Sound Transit, King County Metro, and the University of Washington to plan for high capacity transportation in the SR 520 corridor, and requires that the parties jointly develop a multimodal transportation plan that ensures the effective and efficient coordination of bus services and light rail services throughout the corridor.