King County recognized as Pioneer for Van Pool program

ews from King County Transportation
Release date: May 31, 2002

King County honored as Commuter Choice Pioneer
King County Metro Transit's leading-edge work to get commuters out of their cars and into buses, carpools and vanpools through Commute Partnerships was recognized once again this month, when U.S. Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta named King County one of 11 national Commuter Choice Pioneers.

"I am pleased that Secretary Mineta has recognized our work in forming partnerships with King County employers," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "By working together, King County employers and Metro are improving the choices available for commuters to get to work, and are playing an important role in reducing the overall impact of congestion and protecting the environment."


Mary Peters and Bill Roach










Federal Highway Administrator Mary Peters (left) presents the Commuter Choice Pioneer Award to Metro Transit's Bill Roach, a pioneer in his own right.
[enlarged view: 58K]

Commuter Choice is a partnership between government and business, designed to help employers create customized solutions to the commuting challenges their employees face. King County was recognized for three programs in particular:

* The award-winning Commute Partnerships Program, which leverages funds from public, private and other partners to implement effective commute trip reduction programs for employers, property managers, and other clients. The Partnership has been shown to reduce single-occupant vehicle commuting from eight to 40 percent at participating work sites. King County’s funds leverage six dollars from partners for every public dollar invested.

* The Metro Vanpool program, which is the largest such public program in the nation. King County’s 700 vanpools carry more than 6,000 riders daily in a nine-county region. In one year, a single vanpool saves about 8,000 gallons of gasoline, and eliminates more than 100,000 vehicle miles. The fleet recovers about 75 percent of its costs through rider fares.

* The Jobs Access welfare-to-work program, which provides transportation services for employment, job search, training, and childcare to low-income and welfare populations. The program serves more than 430 employment, job training, and child care sites and has trained 200 welfare-to-work case managers as transportation coordinators for their clients. The Jobs Access program has had a remarkable success in recruiting 12 public and non-profit partners, and serves as a national model.

In presentations at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters in Washington, DC, on May 14, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administrator Mary E. Peters joined EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman in recognizing public and private sector organizations for expanding choices available to commuters. The Washington State Department of Transportation was also recognized for its work with employers through the State Commute Trip Reduction Law. The 11 honorees were selected from a field of over 450 organizations across the nation that work on commute issues.

Accepting the award on May 14 from the FHA’s Peters was Metro Transit's Bill Roach. After flying him out for the ceremony in Washington, D.C., federal officials asked Roach to advise them on how to shape a national program that would replicate some of the successes he's helped create here in the Puget Sound region.

Commuter Choice programs are intended to help reduce traffic congestion and enable employees to get to work more efficiently. Traffic congestion cost Americans $78 billion in 1999 according to the Federal Highway Administration. On the average during 1999, Americans spent 36 hours stuck in traffic. Since 1970, the country's population increased by 38 percent and highway travel during that same time period grew by 148 percent

The other nine Commuter Choice pioneers recognized by the U.S. Department of Transportation were:

* CARAVAN for Commuters, Inc., Boston
* The Rideshare Company, Windsor, CT
* RIDES for Bay Area Commuters, Oakland, CA
* Metro Commuter Services, St. Paul, MN
* TMA Group, Franklin, TN
* Ride Arrangers Program, Denver Regional Council of Governments
* Valley Metro, Phoenix, AZ
* Commuter Connections, Metropolitan Washington (DC) Area Council of Governments
* Washington (DC) Metropolitan Area Transit Auth

WS DOT's FAQ on I 405 Congestion Relief and BRT projects

I-405 Congestion Relief and Bus Rapid Transit Projects- Project FAQs

I-405 Corridor Program Benfits

• The long-range I-405 Master Plan will reduce congestion by 20 percent and accommodate an additional 110,000 person trips per day.

• The I-405 program will improve safety by reducing accidents caused by stop-and-go traffic and weaving movements.

• The I-405 program is about more than just expanding the freeway – it’s about improving regional mobility through better HOV operations, increased transit service and more vanpools and park-and-ride spaces.

• The I-405 program will improve environmental quality by reducing water pollution from stormwater runoff, removing fish blockages and adding noise walls.

Progress

• The Governor and state Legislature have committed nearly $1.5 billion for improvements on I-405 – $485 million from the 2003 funding package and $972 million from the 2005 funding plan.
• A project to curb the “Kirkland Crawl” between SR 520 and SR 522 is on schedule and on budget. A contractor for this project was selected in September 2005, construction began at the end of 2005, and is now complete
• Projects in Bellevue and Renton – to remove the “Wilburton Weave” and continue untangling the chokepoint at the SR 167 interchange – are both began construction in 2007.

Vision

• The long-range plan for improving I-405 focuses on adding capacity, relieving congestion and improving safety.

• The plan is the result of a landmark agreement by corridor cities and local, state and federal agencies.

• This Master Plan is a 20+-year roadmap for making a steady series of incremental improvements in highway and transit capacity.
  

I-405 Frequently Asked Questions

Why does I-405 need to be improved in the first place?

• I-405 commuters face some of the worst traffic congestion in the state – up to 10 hours a day in some locations.
• I-405 is the second-most traveled corridor in Washington State.
• I-405 is the only high-capacity north-south route on the Eastside. Some 800,000 trips are made on I-405 everyday.
• Users of I-405 are well aware of the problem – nearly half of respondents to a recent WSDOT survey rated I-405 traffic congestion as very serious; about half also said they regularly change their plans or go out of their way to avoid I-405.
• The cost of delay in the I-405 corridor—lost time and wasted fuel—is calculated at $930 per person per year.
• Congestion results in unpredictable travel times, fewer productive work hours, increased personal stress and a high rate of side and rear collisions. And, a vital link in our regional transportation network, a highly congested I-405 is a deterrent to economic growth.
• I-405 carries twice the amount of freight shipped each year through the Port of Seattle.

What is the Master Plan for I-405?

• In October 2002 the federal government released a Record of Decision approving the I-405 Environmental Impact Statement. This document is a Master Plan for regional transportation improvements on the Eastside.
• This corridor-wide programmatic planning document was the result of unprecedented cooperation between all the cities, legislative leaders and agencies in the I-405 corridor.
• Major pieces of the Master Plan include:
• Adding up to two new lanes in each direction for the entire 30-mile length of I-405.
• Developing a bus rapid transit line with stations along I-405 and expanded transit centers.
• Improving key arterial streets.
• Creating 1,700 new vanpools – a doubling of the region’s current fleet.
• Building 5,000 new park-and-ride spaces.
• Building eight new pedestrian/bicycle crossings over the freeway.
• Increasing local transit service by up to 50 percent.

What are the benefits of the Master Plan?

• Ultimate benefits of the Master Plan include:
• Accommodating an additional 110,000 trips per day.
• Reducing time stuck in traffic by more than 13 million hours per year – an average of more than 40 hours a year for each regular user of I-405.
• Producing travel time savings valued at $569 million a year.
• Removing chokepoints and weaving traffic movements will improve safety by reducing side and rear collisions.
• Enhancing freight mobility with better interchanges, travel time savings and updated technologies.
• Providing economic benefits through construction. Each $1 billion spent on transportation construction generates 47,500 jobs, according to the USDOT.
• $5.40 returned to the economy in congestion savings for each $1.00 invested in highways , also according to the USDOT.

How long will it take to complete the Master Plan?

• The Master Plan is a 20+-year roadmap.
• In October 2003, the I-405 Executive Committee approved a medium-term Implementation Plan with $4.7 billion worth of projects that could be built over the next 10-15 years.
• A set of implementation principles were developed to guide selection of projects. These are:
• Fulfill the long-term vision.
• Address the worst chokepoints first.
• Enhance environmental quality.
• Improve livability for our communities.
• Support a vigorous state and regional economy.
• Accommodate planned regional growth.
• Implement early environmental improvements when possible.
• Minimize overall costs and risks.
• Minimize construction impacts.
• Also in 2003, the state Legislature approved a 5-cent per gallon increase in the gas tax and created the Nickel Improvement Program. Three “Nickel Projects” totaling $485 million are located on the I-405 corridor, in Tukwila/South Renton, Bellevue and Kirkland. Construction on the first of these, in Kirkland, will begin in early 2006.

How much will it cost to fix I-405?

• $485 million in projects funded for I-405 with the 2003 Nickel Program from the Legislature.
• Another $972 million for 11 projects funded by the 2005 Transportation Partnership Account passed by the Legislature.
• The long-term Master Plan, if realized, would total and estimated $10.9 Billion in transportation and transit improvements.

What are the Nickel Improvement Projects?

Three projects on I-405 are funded by a five-cent increase in the state gas tax approved by the Legislature in 2003. These have budgets totaling $485 million and are located in Kirkland, Bellevue and Renton/Tukwila. The three Nickel Projects will add a total of 19.5 new lane miles on the mainline freeway, ramps and local roads. Here are brief descriptions of each:

Ending the Kirkland Crawl

• Construction is set to begin in November 2005 on the Kirkland Nickel Project. Kiewit Construction/DMJM Harris/Perteet was selected as the design-builder in late September.
• The Kirkland Nickel project will reduce congestion through the "Kirkland Crawl," and complements Sound Transit’s Totem Lake Freeway Station/128th Street Direct Access project, which began construction in 2004 and goes into service in 2006.
• The project has been divided into phases for efficiency and maximum benefit.
• Stage 1 will add one new lane southbound and northbound between NE 85^th Street and NE 124^th Street. The NE 116^th Street interchange will be reconfigured to provide better traffic flow and access. Stage 1 is scheduled to be complete in 2009.
• Stage 2 will extend the benefits of Stage 1 construction by adding one new lane northbound between NE 70^th Street and NE 85^th Street and one new lane southbound between SR 522 and NE 124^th Street and between NE 85^th Street and SR 520. Stage 2 construction is scheduled for 2007-2009
• Total budget for the Kirkland Nickel Project (Stages 1 and 2) is $164 million.
• The Bellevue Nickel Project will eliminate a chokepoint just north of the I-90/I-405 junction in the area of the Wilburton Tunnel. Because of multiple on- and off-ramps in the area that cause weaving traffic movements, this stretch is known as the “Wilburton Weave”.
• Construction is set to begin in early 2007 to add one new northbound lane between I-90 and SE 8^th Street and one new southbound lane between Main Street and I-90. Work is scheduled for completion in 2009.
• The project includes rebuilding the Wilburton Tunnel, which carries a BNSF railroad line over the freeway.
• Budget for the Bellevue Nickel Project is $185 million.
• Benefits of this project include:
• Lessening some of the worst congestion chokepoints along the I-405 corridor.
• Increasing travel speeds during peak commuter hours.
• Improving safety.
• Facilitating freight movement throughout corridor.
• Implementing meaningful environmental improvements.
• Providing an economic benefit to cost ratio of 3:1.

Unclogging Renton to Tukwila

• The area around the I-405/SR 167 junction is one of the most congested in the state, with traffic congestion lasting up to 10 hours a day. The Renton Nickel Project will help address some of these congestion and safety issues.
• Construction will start in mid-2007 to add one new southbound lane between Maple Valley Highway (SR 169) and SR 167 and one new northbound lane between West Valley Highway (SR 181) and SR 167.
• This project will also extend the SR 167 southbound HOV lane north to I-405. This will provide a great benefit since nearly two-thirds of southbound I-405 traffic exits at SR 167 southbound.
• Budget for the Renton Nickel Project is $136 million. Construction is scheduled for completion in 2009.
• Benefits of this project include:
• Lessening some of the worst congestion chokepoints along the I-405 corridor.
• Increasing travel speeds during peak commuter hours.
• Improving safety.
• Facilitating freight movement throughout corridor.
• Implementing meaningful environmental improvements.
• Providing an economic benefit to cost ratio of 3:1.

How much new capacity is being added with these Nickel Projects?

The Nickel Projects will add 18 new lane miles of roadway on the mainline freeway, one new lane mile of ramps and one-half mile of new local roadway, for a total of 19.5 new lane miles.

How much new capacity is being added with these 2005 gas tax projects?

The TPA (2005 gas tax projects) added 15.3 new lane miles of roadway on the mainline freeway, six new lane miles of ramps and two miles of new local roadway, for a total of 23.3 new lane miles.

On time and within budget

Are I-405 projects on time? On budget?

• The Kirkland Nickel project is one year ahead of schedule and on budget.
• Bellevue and Renton Nickel projects are on schedule and on budget.
• The I-405 Nickel Projects have been designed and engineered to provide value and optimal return on state investments in infrastructure.
• In addition to providing substantial new funding for I-405 projects, the Transportation Partnership Account passed by the 2005 Legislature also accelerated the schedule for the I-405 Nickel Projects, allowing WSDOT to complete these projects earlier than previously planned.
• A major reason why I-405 projects are ahead of schedule is the use of the design-build process, which allows a joint engineering/construction group to finalize designs for the roadway while they begin construction. In the past, projects were completely designed by WSDOT before contracts were let for construction. The design-build process, rapidly being adopted around the nation, saves time and provides for innovative solutions to design and construction issues. A principal benefit is getting projects into service as quickly as possible to reduce congestion and improve safety for all users.

A multimodal program

Isn’t I-405 just a big roads project?

No. The I-405 Program provides a variety number of improvements that benefit users of carpools, vanpools and transit in addition to single-occupant vehicles and freight users. For example:

• Improvements at all three Nickel Project locations on I-405 are designed to reduce congestion caused by weaving traffic and the reduction of lanes, which cause bottlenecks. These changes will benefit all users.
• Improvements in both the short- and long-term will help maintain and even improve travel reliability for HOV lane users, 80 percent of whom commute in car- and vanpools.
• The Sound Transit-funded Totem Lake Freeway Station/HOV direct access ramp now under construction at NE 128^th Street in Kirkland will benefit not only transit and HOV users, it will reduce weaving caused by vehicles merging to the HOV lane, which improves traffic operations for motorists in the general purpose lanes. This project will also take pressure off the NE 124^th Street interchange as HOV users and transit vehicles will use the NE 128^th access instead.
• The Bellevue Downtown Access HOV ramp at NE 4^th Street, opened in summer 2005, provides similar benefits.
• Although unfunded at present, an HOV direct access ramp at NE 8^th Street in Renton is part of the long-range plan.
• The I-405 Master Plan calls for a system of managed lanes along the length of the corridor. This would essentially be a double HOV lane in each direction. Pending results of a WSDOT study on High Occupancy Toll, or HOT, lanes, all or a portion of the corridor’s managed lane system could allow for single-occupancy vehicles to “buy in” to unused capacity in the HOT lanes. This would only be done as long as operations for transit and HOV users would not be compromised.
• The I-405 Master Plan calls for a doubling, to 1,700, of vanpools in the central Puget Sound region, a 50 percent increase in local transit service, the addition of 5,000 new park-and-ride spaces and the building of eight new pedestrian/bicycle crossings over I-405. These amenities will be phased in as budget allows.
• Plans are being made for the addition of a bus rapid transit (BRT) line along I-405. This would provide frequent bus service along the freeway, connecting with transit centers in urban centers, such as Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Renton and Tukwila.

What is BRT?

• Bus rapid transit, or BRT, is similar to light rail transit except that it uses rubber-tired buses specially built for the purpose. BRT, which is used throughout Latin America and is becoming popular in large U.S. cities, has several characteristics that are different than regular bus service, such as:
• Fewer stops and generally higher speeds.
• Off-vehicle fare collection. Users buy tickets or use passes at stations, rather than on the bus.
• Distinctive-looking, low-floor buses similar to light rail vehicles.
• The flexibility of BRT allows it to use dedicated busways, HOV lanes or mix with general traffic.
• When used on arterial streets, BRT often makes use of a signal-priority system to allow the buses a “head start” at green lights.
• Because of their flexibility and relative lower cost, compared to light rail and other fixed-guideway systems, BRT is being implemented in cities across the country, including Los Angeles, Boston, Washington, D.C., Cleveland, Honolulu, Miami and San Jose.
• Closer to Seattle, a BRT line is under construction in Eugene/Springfield, Oregon. This service, dubbed EmX, goes into operation in 2006. (For more information, see Lane Transit District at

http://www.ltd.org/.) Environmental improvements

What are the environmental aspects of the I-405 Project?

• Our overarching environmental goal: Leave the environment better than it is today. We will do this by:

• Restoring natural stream flow and removing stream blockages.
• Improving salmon habitat.
• Approaching mitigation from a holistic watershed view.
• The I-405 team is committed to begin environmental investments as early as possible in the construction process to maximize positive effects on the watershed.
• WSDOT’s environmental approach is to target environmental improvements to areas that have the greatest long-term environmental benefit, as opposed to just providing short-term spot treatments.
• Environmental mitigation for the Kirkland Nickel Project includes: stormwater facilities to provide detention and water quality treatment; three wetland mitigation sites totaling 12.1 acres; stream protection and fish passage culvert replacement at Forbes Creek; construction of five new noise walls; and relocation of four existing noise walls.

What environmental process has the I-405 Project followed?

• As with other proposed transportation projects, the I-405 program has followed the requirements set forth under the state and federal Environmental Protection Acts.
• A three-year Environmental Impact Statement/programmatic planning process for the entire 30-mile I-405 corridor was completed in 2002. The federal government signed off on the EIS with a Record of Decision in October 2002.
• In addition to the programmatic EIS, a further level of environmental review is required for individual construction projects on the corridor. For example, an Environmental Assessment (EA) was completed for the Kirkland Nickel Project, which begins construction at the end of 2005. EAs are also underway for the Bellevue and Renton Nickel Projects.

Coping during construction

What can I expect during construction?

• Construction is now underway on the Totem Lake Freeway Station/NE 128^th Street HOV direct access project funded by Sound Transit. Work begins in late 2005 on freeway improvements just to the south of this project. WSDOT is acutely aware that both of these projects, and future projects to come, have impacts on the traveling public, neighboring businesses and residents.
• Construction on the Totem Lake and neighboring freeway improvement projects will be closely coordinated to limit impacts on the public. All travel lanes will be remain open during construction, for example. In addition, public information activities will be coordinated.
• WSDOT is working to minimize inconveniences to motorists during highway construction with up-to-date information about traffic and travel options.
• Construction updates and traffic information for the Totem Lake Freeway Station project is located at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/i405/TotemLake.
• When construction begins on the neighboring Kirkland freeway improvements, construction updates and traffic information will also be posted on the I-405 web page.
• Check out www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/i405/TravelOptions for more information about what to expect and what WSDOT and other agencies are doing to help.
• Travel options include finding alternate routes to avoid the construction zone, riding the bus or using a vanpool, modifying your work hours to avoid the worst congestion times, or telecommuting when possible.

Chuck Collin's Ride-Free Express

New group wants free bus rides, not light rail

By Andrew Garber 1/10/01

Seattle Times staff reporter

There's a new group in town opposing Sound Transit's light-rail project.

Ride Free Express, a nonprofit outfit promoting free bus and van-pool rides as an alternative to light rail, will open shop this morning.

High-profile members of the group include former governors Booth Gardner and John Spellman and former King County Metro bus director Chuck Collins, according to a statement released yesterday.

Collins came up with the plan the group will promote. "We're going to talk about a proposal that we feel is far more effective at relieving congestion, decisively so, and we feel it can be done much sooner with much less risk" than light rail, he said.

Collins would not go into details, saying the group expects to release its plan today, but in recent months he has advocated investing millions of dollars in more car-pool lanes, van pools and buses and making all the rides free.

"Sound Transit's proposal for light rail is that it will carry 31,000 new riders a day (within a few years of starting)," Collins said. "Our proposal would result in 192,000 new riders per day and we believe we could do it in the next four years. That would be more new riders than Metro transit has added in the last 25 years."

Ride Free will propose that Sound Transit spend the money it has set aside for light rail on its plan instead, Collins said.

Sound Transit revealed last month that the 21-mile light-rail project is $1 billion over budget and three years behind schedule.

Dave Earling, chairman of the Sound Transit board, would not comment on Collins' idea, saying he had not seen the plan yet.

The Sound Transit Board is expected to decide tomorrow whether to move ahead with the $3.8 billion light-rail project and accept $500 million in federal money.

Both Gardner and Collins are members of another light-rail opposition group called Sane Transit, which formed several months ago to oppose the project.

Collins said Ride Free is not affiliated with Sane Transit. "There's some overlap, but it's a different group," he said.

Van Pooling cuts congestion and pollution

VanPool cruising on road to success

Riders swap stories, cut pollution, traffic

Monday, March 27, 2000

By CHRIS McGANN
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
CAPITOL CORRESPONDENT

SEATTLE -- Speeding down the car-pool lane past miles of stop-and-go morning traffic, six members of Jennifer Ricketts' VanPool tick off reasons for choosing King County's commuter van service.

If you guessed they share the ride to cut down on their commute time or to avoid fighting for parking spaces, you'd be only partly right.

"It gives me something to tell my wife when I get home," said software engineer Eric Hanson, 33.

Hanson uses the 25-minute commute to catch up on his technical reading but relies on fellow rider, Jodi Payne, to liven up his routine with "bizarre stories."

"I had to relocate a woman's frozen embryos once," said Payne, who coordinates Microsoft's company relocation program.

Payne said sharing stories is a mandatory part of belonging to this mini-division of King County Metro's VanPool, a program that began 20 years ago and has grown into the largest publicly owned van pool program in the United States.

Ricketts said commuting by van pool is not always faster than driving because of stops to pick up members of the group. But saving time is not her main motivation. "I do it to reduce pollution and (the number of) cars on the road," she said.

In that respect and others, the VanPool program is a Metro success story. More than 705 Metro van pools serving nine counties reduce traffic by 11,124 vehicle trips per day, said Cathy Blumenthal, Metro's Rideshare coordinator. On average, a single van pool means 5.4 fewer tons of air pollution and 8,000 gallons of gasoline saved each year.

The VanPool program also provides transportation for people who live outside Metro's regular service areas. It supplies regular transportation to Seattle for people from as far away as Port Townsend, Mount Vernon and Olympia.

Four-wheel-drive vans cross Snoqualmie Pass five days a weekto bring commuters from Cle Elum into Seattle.

And unlike Metro's other heavily subsidized programs, VanPool pays for itself. Revenue from riders and companies that pay employee fares pay for the vans themselves.

Costs range from $26 to $157 per person, depending on van size, trip distance and riders in the pool. Vans hold eight, 12 or 15 riders.

Many companies pay for van pools to help meet commute-trip-reduction requirements, as employment incentives and to be environmentally responsible.

Microsoft, for example, financed Ricketts' eight-person van pool, one of at least 30 for its employees.

Microsoft spokesman Dan Leach said the company encourages everyone on its campus to use buses, bicycles, car pools and van pools. The company provides bus passes, matches commuters for rideshares on its corporate intranet and subsidizes employees who use van pools for at least three round trips per week.

About 28 percent of Microsoft employees use some alternative form of transportation to get to work, Leach said.

"That's how we can work as a community to deal with our success. We all need to work together to figure out what's best for the region, to reduce congestion and the environmental impact on the area," Leach said. "Every company has a responsibility to do that, and we want to do our part."

But employers' reasons vary as much as van poolers.

United Rental in Tukwila pays about $700 per month to a van pool to help six employees commute from Monroe, branch manager Jerry O'Neill said.

O'Neill said the company decided to pay for the service to entice quality employees to stay with United after it consolidated a Woodinville branch.

"It works out well because I can keep very experienced people with us," O'Neill said. "There was a certain amount of obligation to cover their costs of coming down here."

But United Rental has no immediate plans to expand its program.

"It's not a small fee," O'Neill said. "It's not something that we are likely to consider in other cases, because of the expense."

Employees from Puget Sound companies, including The Boeing Co., U S West, Siemens, Costco and many others, use van pools as a regular way to get to work.

Tom Sewell, a 40-year-old software engineer, said his big incentive is the ride home. His pool's 4:30 p.m. departure from Redmond gets him out the door on time so he can spend more time with his wife and daughters Allysa, 2, and 4-month-old Emma.