EKCC Transportation 2021

TRANSPORTATION

Highway maintenance, capacity and safety improvements beyond the Connecting Washington funding package passed in 2015 are needed, particularly along the I-405, I-90, SR 18, SR 522, and SR 202 corridors.

The East King Chambers Coalition requests the Legislature:

Accelerate Transportation Technologies

Technology applied to transportation systems can save lives, reduce carbon from vehi- cles and address congestion through efficiency. We support legislative and regulatory incentives to public and private partnership investments in transportation electrification for the movement of people and goods.

The negative economic impact of the pandemic has highlighted the need for ex- panded investment in digital infrastructure for health, education, and transportation. Cooperation by federal agencies, state, and local governments in expediting the permitting of fiber and 5G small cell technologies will enhance economic recovery and enable connected and autonomous vehicles. 5G networks will transform the transportation industry by enabling all road users and transportation infrastructure to communicate with everything else on the road.

Provide Additional Transportation Funding

Commuters and businesses urge additional funding beyond current law revenues for the following programs to increase mobility for all modes, encourage economic recov- ery and reduce congestion as employment barrier when post-pandemic traffic levels return to normal.
We support projects which have been evaluated and approved for funding as part of PSRC Destination 2040, specifically:
• Accelerated completion of I-405 Master Plan capacity projects;
• Completion of key SR 520 interchanges and fund a 520 Master Plan;
• Completion of additional SR 18 capacity and safety improvements and park and ride
capacity beyond current law revenue levels.
• Completion of SR 900, SR 167, SR 169 and SR 522 capacity and safety improve-
ments.

Adopt Accountable Revenue Policies

We urge the legislature to adopt the following recommendations to increase mobility for all modes and provide accountability:
• All taxes and fees levied on drivers shall be deposited into the Motor Vehicle Fund;
• All toll revenues dedicated to highway purposes shall be deposited in the Motor
Vehicle Fund;
• All toll revenues collected on a specific highway shall only be used for expansion, op-
erations and maintenance on that specific highway and not diverted to other modes
• All revenue derived from a carbon assessment on transportation fuels, shall be de-
posited in the Motor Vehicle Fund, with a distribution to cities and counties for M&O.