Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Transportation Committee

HB 1988

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief Description: Concerning the application of right-sizing to transportation projects.

Sponsors: Representatives Rodne, Magendanz, Zeiger, Kristiansen, Hayes and O'Ban.

Brief Summary of Bill

  • Defines the concept of right-sizing and recognizes that the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is utilizing this concept in their safety analyst program.

  • Requires the WSDOT to submit a report to the Legislature on right-sizing by January 1, 2014.

Hearing Date: 3/18/13

Staff: Alyssa Ball (786-7140).

Background:

"Right-sizing" is a term the Washington State Transportation Commission (WSTC) has used to describe a lean, metric-based approach to determining project investments. The goal is to find a "best fit" transportation solution for the context that meets the expectations of decision makers, the state, stakeholders, and the community. It entails compromise between project cost and design, incorporating community needs, desired outcomes, and available funding. The WSTC indicates that right-sizing would include a peer review to assess scope and scale against objectives and cost.

The Washington State Department of Transportation's (WSDOT) safety program has recently begun to apply the concept of right-sizing, utilizing software called "safety analyst," which automates statistical approaches to improve the identification and programming of site-specific highway safety improvements. A complete root causes analysis and evaluation is conducted, options and countermeasures are assessed, and solution options are identified according to cost and benefit.

Summary of Bill:

The WSDOT is required to work with the WSTC to submit a report to the Transportation Committees of the Legislature on right-sizing by January 1, 2014. The report must include when and where the concept has been applied within the WSDOT and must also include an assessment of the feasibility of extending the concept to all capital programs.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

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