BILL REQ. #: S-2220.1
| State of Washington | 58th Legislature | 2003 Regular Session |
READ FIRST TIME 03/10/03.
AN ACT Relating to the Washington commerce corridor; creating new sections; and providing an expiration date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1
(1) The existing I-5 corridor in Western Washington regularly
experiences traffic congestion such that the efficient movement of
freight, goods, services, and people is impeded;
(2) The cost to improve the I-5 corridor in the urban areas is very
high and in some cases not possible due to a built-up environment
surrounding the existing freeway system;
(3) The state needs a long-range vision for improving, and
providing for, the north-south movement of freight, goods, services,
and people in and through the state in order to achieve economic
competitiveness;
(4) A new commerce corridor may provide an alternative to the
existing I-5 corridor;
(5) A new commerce corridor may be built to minimize environmental
impacts and provide benefits to communities affected by the corridor;
(6) A new commerce corridor might be efficiently funded and built
by private companies working in cooperation with the state and local
communities; and
(7) Funds for the project might be raised using an innovative
approach that can aid by leveraging tolls and raising revenues from
nontraditional transportation revenue sources.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2
(1) "Corridor" refers to the Washington commerce corridor described
in section 3 of this act;
(2) "Department" refers to the Washington state department of
transportation;
(3) "Facility" means infrastructure and capital-related additions
to the state's transportation system, including but not limited to
highways, roads, bridges, park and ride lots, rail tracks, rail
stations, and other transportation-related investments;
(4) "Public utility facility" means a track, pipe, main, conduit,
cable, wire, tower, pole, or other item of equipment or an appliance of
a public utility.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3
(2) The Washington commerce corridor must be a north-south corridor
starting in the vicinity of Lewis county and extending northerly to the
vicinity of the Canadian border. The corridor must be situated east of
state route number 405 and west of the Cascades. The corridor may
include any of the following features:
(a) Ability to carry long-haul freight;
(b) Ability to provide for passenger auto travel;
(c) Freight rail;
(d) Passenger rail;
(e) Public utilities; and
(f) Other ancillary facilities as may be desired to maximize use of
the corridor.
(3) The Washington commerce corridor must be developed, financed,
designed, constructed, and operated by private sector consortiums. The
department may solicit proposals from private companies and enter into
agreements with selected companies, if authorized by the legislative
transportation committee.
(4) The Washington commerce corridor, if further pursued by the
legislature, must be subject to a joint permitting process involving
federal, state, and local agencies with jurisdiction.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4
(1) Definition of project features, including:
(a) Potential alignments;
(b) Estimate of the right of way requirements;
(c) Estimate of operating standards. In order to arrive at an
estimate of operating standards, private companies and other
stakeholders must be consulted to recommend level of service standards
and other requirements for the construction and operation of the
facility;
(d) Potential traffic projections;
(e) Potential environmental impacts; and
(f) Potential economic benefits and impacts;
(2) Preliminary financial information, including:
(a) Estimated cost ranges to develop, construct, and operate the
corridor;
(b) Estimate of revenues that could be derived from tolls on the
corridor;
(c) Estimate of revenues that could be derived from other sources
including, but not limited to:
(i) Air space leases for commercial developments;
(ii) Facilities leases;
(iii) Development rights;
(iv) Leases of right of way for commercial purposes;
(v) Other revenue-generating ideas; and
(vi) Eligibility of the corridor for federal and state sources of
funding; and
(d) Potential sources of revenues that could be leveraged to
provide funds for developing, constructing, and operating the corridor;
(3) Examination of the legal issues and necessary statutory
provisions to enter into an agreement with a private consortium to
carry out the corridor project. These issues include but are not
limited to:
(a) A discussion of the terms and conditions of agreements
necessary to implement the proposal with a private company; and
(b) Agreement provisions that may be required in order for the
private companies to finance, construct, and operate the corridor.
Legal experts must be consulted to develop preliminary terms and
conditions of agreements that would be required to have private
companies develop, finance, construct, and operate the corridor.
Potential private partners must be consulted to examine the legal
structure and desirable agreement provisions for a successful
partnership to develop the project;
(4) Identification of potential environmental issues, including:
(a) Initial assessment of known environmental impacts; and
(b) Assessment and recommendations for an efficient approach to
environmental permitting; and
(5) Identification of the potential community issues that might be
raised and strategies for addressing any potential concerns.
The department shall contract with expert consultant teams to
conduct the initial study and identification of issues. The department
shall assist with the study to the extent resources are appropriated
for this purpose.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5
NEW SECTION. Sec. 6
NEW SECTION. Sec. 7