SENATE BILL REPORT
SB 5764
As Reported By Senate Committee On:
Transportation, March 8, 2001
Title: An act relating to maintaining and preserving transportation facilities and assets.
Brief Description: Maintaining and preserving transportation facilities and assets.
Sponsors: 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].
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: Jennifer Strus (786‑7484)
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 Substitute 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 maintenance and 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 the maintenance, preservation and, if appropriate, replacement of assets based on lowest life cycle cost methodologies.
Municipal corporations must provide to the Transportation Commission, or its successor entity, preservation rating information on at least 70 percent of the city=s arterial network. The rating system must be based on the Washington State Pavement Rating method.
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.
Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill: The MAP service levels requirements for cities and counties are removed. Clarifying language is added regarding transportation system assets. Maintenance management requirements for cities and counties are amended.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Requested on February 1, 2001.
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).