BILL REQ. #:  S-1852.1 

READ FIRST TIME 02/25/11.   

     AN ACT Relating to reconvening the Alaskan Way viaduct and Seattle Seawall replacement project expert review panel; and adding a new section to chapter 47.01 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 47.01 RCW to read as follows:
     The department shall reconvene an expert review panel as described under RCW 47.01.400 for the purpose of updating the work that was previously completed by the panel on the Alaskan Way viaduct and Seattle Seawall replacement project and to ensure that an appropriate and viable financial plan is created and regularly reviewed. The expert review panel must be selected cooperatively by the chairs of the senate and house of representatives transportation committees, the secretary of transportation, the speaker of the house of representatives, the majority leader of the senate, and the governor. The expert review panel must report updated findings and recommendations to the transportation commission, the transportation committees of the legislature, and the governor's Alaskan Way viaduct program oversight committee by October 2011, and annually thereafter until the project is operationally complete. Upon receipt of the expert review panel's updated findings and recommendations, the governor must determine whether the financial plan for the Alaskan Way viaduct and Seattle Seawall replacement project is feasible and sufficient to complete the project as described in the final environmental impact statement. When reconvening the expert review panel, the department must be attentive to cost and consider ways to minimize expert review panel expenditures, such as the use of teleconferencing. Anticipated expenditures related to the expert review panel must be included in the panel's findings and recommendation reports.