Finally.
Under the new arrangement Pierce Transit will craft a new long range plan to reflect Tacoma Link / streetcar investments (i.e., not very much). The City of Tacoma will have the authority to review the analysis, make recommendations, and have the responsibility of coming up with additional capital / operating dollars. And Sound Transit will now pay for alternatives analysis, which will be completed by December 31, 2010.
What does the partnership mean exactly? Well first off, it means that relative to the Build the Streetcar Initiative, the project timeline has been accelerated by about 12 months. Further it means that the project will have buy-in from local leaders throughout Pierce County, which will be critical for applying for federal funds. Also, Tacoma Link is going to be integrated into the City of Tacoma's Comprehensive Transportation Plan, which will add to the Bike-Ped improvements of the Mobility Master Plan.
As for next steps, the workings of the bureaucracies are now set in motion (which has been half the battle). The three entities will now start to "establish tasks and goals" for the project. It also means that a "stakeholders group" will be formed to help gather input and communicate with affected residents of Tacoma. In May it sounds like there will be some form of joint session between the City Council, the Pierce Transit Board, and the South Sound Transit board members to discuss the scope of work. Advance notice will be required, so we'll hear details about it a couple weeks in advance.
Learn more from the fuzzy, grainy two-pager here (PDF).
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Good to hear. I'm glad that the ST board and PT board are going to put their heads together to collaborate on this. And the ST CEO is even a Tacoma resident, so no King County interference will be happening.
ReplyDeleteCoordination with the Mobility Master plan and Transpo plan makes too much sense to be happening here. Someone must have made a mistake. Shhh, don't tell anyone and it will probably slide through just fine.
Now, if we can only keep Eric Anderson from building alot of parking lots along the routes......
The time line has been accelerated by 12 months but what does this really mean? I want to know when it will be that I can actually step aboard the system downtown and end up somewhere in the Stadium district. Sounds to me like a lot of studying and planning. I want to know when the rail hit the streets and my butt can find a seat on this thing.
ReplyDeleteCrenshaw
ReplyDeleteif you want your butt to sit in one of these trains sooner rather later, a call or email to your city counciman/woman, the pierce county ST board members, and to Pierce Transit would be a good first step. Also, if you're willing to vote for more funding, be sure to include that little bit of info in the phone call/email.
I can't say how long the planning phase will take, but once it's done, the politics will ultimately determine when, where, and how far.
It is more like the politics will ultimately UNDERmine when, where, and how far. I want this as much or more more than than the next guy. I'll throw all the support I can at it. I think it is important to have a date attached to this project. A date that isn't some 25 years in the future.
ReplyDeleteCrenshaw, I get it and Marilyn Strickland gets it. She has made it very clear to our friends in Congress that streetcars are a funding priority.
ReplyDeleteThere are a couple of other driving factors - apparently several developers are interested in investing in Tacoma, but if and only if streetcars are built. Also, the redesign of Stadium Way is ready to go, but the City doesn't want to proceed until we can design and find a way to fund tracks in the ground.
The next time I have my meeting with ST staff, I'll see if I can coax a possible start date out of them.
There will always be factions that will try to delay or oppose any transit project. Not now, not this, too expensive, not here, lets wait............. We already know what the opponents will say.
ReplyDeleteTo be successful, there needs to be plenty of political pressure that says: Transit now! Streetcars - Rail - Buses- Bike Lanes - Walkable Neighborhoods! It'll cost too much not to do it! Let's start now!