In the first round of federal stimulus money for transportation projects, Federal Way did not make the list.
On Feb. 27, the Puget Sound Regional Council announced a list of regional projects recommended for funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
About $214 million in federal economic stimulus money is available to the Puget Sound region. The Puget Sound Regional Council is charged with distributing about $78 million for transportation projects (such as bridges and highways) in King, Pierce, Snohomish and Kitsap counties. The rest of the money will go toward transit projects, including ferries.
To receive stimulus money, cities had to show that a project was “shovel ready.” Cities self-scored proposals for projects based on how ready they were to begin construction. Scores took into account whether projects needed more environmental studies and right-of-way permits, for example. The highest scoring projects made the cut.
Federal Way’s proposals did not self-score as high as other projects, partly because federal money carries an additional set of requirements, such as a federal environmental study. Such studies would have taken up to 180 days — which is too long to satisfy the “shovel ready” mandate for spending federal stimulus funds, said Cary Roe, Federal Way assistant city manager.
The list included city projects, not state transportation projects such as the “triangle project” where Interstate 5 meets with State Routes 18 and 161. In addition, stimulus money cannot replace funding that already exists for a project.
Federal Way submitted two projects for federal stimulus money:
• Improvements at South 348th Street and 1st Avenue South: Project will increase the intersection’s capacity, adding a second left-turn lane eastbound and westbound, and adding a right-turn lane southbound and westbound. This project was expected to generate 50 construction jobs.
• 20th Way South street lighting: Project will improve pedestrian safety by adding 15 new street lights. This project was expected to generate 15 construction jobs.
The local list
King County projects receiving stimulus money, according to the Regional Project Evaluation Committee:
• Redmond: NE 36th Street bridge, $11 million
• Renton: Rainier Avenue South project, $2 million
• Seattle: South Spokane Street viaduct, about $15.4 million
• Bothell: North Creek Trail, $500,000
• Burien: 4th Avenue SW pedestrian safety project, $625,000
• King County roads: SW 98th Street phase one, about $1.5 million
• Kent: East Valley Highway, $2 million
• Normandy Park: 1st Avenue phase IIA, about $3.8 million
• Sammamish: E. Lake Sammamish Parkway NE, $3.5 million
Background info
The Puget Sound Regional Council began collecting lists for stimulus projects in November 2008 before knowing how much federal money would be available, said spokesman Rick Olson.
“We are the traditional avenue for local jurisdictions to receive federal transportation funds,” Olson said of the PSRC.
A preliminary list of projects totaled about $4 billion in costs.
“Projects were selected that could go to bed within 90 days,” Olson said. “If our region doesn’t use these funds, we run the risk of losing them to other parts of the state or country.”
The PSRC will take public comment on the list of recommended projects until March 10. A final policy board recommendation on what projects to fund is expected on March 12, followed later by formal approval from the agency’s executive board. The executive board is also expected to approve a state list for the state Legislature and Gov. Chris Gregoire to consider.
A complete list of projects is available at the PSRC’s Web site: www.psrc.com.
The Renton Reporter, a sister newspaper of The Mirror, contributed to this report.
