Title: An act relating to the urban arterial program.

Brief Description: Harmonizing and updating various aspects of the urban arterial program.

Sponsors: Senator Haugen; by request of Transportation Improvement Board.

Brief History:

Transportation: 2/15/06, 2/22/06 [DP].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report: Do pass. Signed by 17 members: Representatives Murray, Chair; Wallace, Vice Chair; Appleton, Campbell, Clibborn, Dickerson, Flannigan, Hankins, Hudgins, Kilmer, Lovick, Morris, Sells, Simpson, Takko, Upthegrove and Wood.

Minority Report: Do not pass. Signed by 11 members: Representatives Woods, Ranking Minority Member; Skinner, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Buck, Curtis, Ericksen, Holmquist, Jarrett, Nixon, Rodne, Schindler and Shabro.

Staff: Jerry Long (786-7306).

Background:

Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) provides funding for improvements on state, city and county arterials. The primary agency purpose is to select and administer grants for city, county, and state transportation projects. The programs are: Small City Program, Transportation Partnership Program, Arterial Improvement Program, Pedestrian Safety Mobility Program, and City Hardship Assistance Program.

In 2005, TIB requested and received approval from the Legislative Evaluation and Accountability Program Committee (LEAP) to rename their funding programs. The changes were intended to more clearly identify which programs they may apply to for funding.

Currently, the TIB is comprised of 21 members including the Executive Director of the County Road Administration Board (CRAB) and two representatives of public transit systems. Appointments to the TIB Board are made by the Secretary of the Department of Transportation (DOT) except for the one state employee with responsibility for transportation policy, planning, or funding which is appointed by the Governor.

Summary of Bill:

The name changes for the TIB Programs are:

• Transportation Partnership Program will be changed to the Urban Corridor Program.
• Pedestrian Safety and Mobility Program will be changed to the Sidewalk Program.
• Arterial Improvement Program will be the Urban Arterial Program.
• City Hardship Assistance Program will be the Road Transfer Program.
• Small City Program will be the Small City Arterial Program.

The number of TIB members is reduced from 21 to 20 by eliminating one of the public transit system appointments. The Executive Director of CRAB is also removed from the TIB Board and replaced by a county engineer or public works director from a county with a population of less than 125,000.

Appointments to the TIB are made by the Governor instead of the Secretary of the DOT.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

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

Testimony For: The name changes will eliminate potential confusion around the Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) programs. It will make it easier for entities looking at the grant programs to identify which program they need if the name of the program better describes the program. Reducing the Transportation Improvement Board membership by one transit position was agreed to by the Washington State Transit Association and is in response to the loss of funding for TIB's transit program after passage of the provisions of Initiative 695. Inclusion of the County Road Administration Board position on the TIB was intended to provide existing expertise for what was then a new agency. Replacing that position with a small county engineer better reflects the current stakeholder interests of the board. Having the Governor make appointments to the board makes sense, now that the Department of Transportation is a cabinet level agency.

Testimony Against: None.

Persons Testifying: Peter Thein, Washington State Transit Association; and Steve Gorcester, Transportation Improvement Board.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.