$15 Mil. for Tacoma LINK Expansion

Today, Sen. Patty Murray announced the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded the City of Tacoma $15 million for the Tacoma LINK Expansion through the TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grant program Sen. Murray created in 2009.

The project will expand downtown Tacoma's existing streetcar line to more than double its current length, and add several stations with improved bicycle and pedestrian access.

“This is the kind of investment that can transform neighborhoods and help local economies grow and create jobs,” Senator Murray said. “As Tacoma continues to grow, it’s critical that all citizens-- including students, workers, and families-- have access to safe, reliable transit. I’m proud to keep fighting for the federal TIGER grant program because it continually reinvests in our communities, brings our transit systems into the 21st century, and helps our economy grow from the middle out, not the top down.”

Earlier this year in an official letter of support, Sen. Murray urged Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to consider the grant, citing the project’s ability to connect communities and spur economic activity. In addition to the Tacoma LINK Expansion grant, Sen. Murray also announced today that the Washington State Department of Transportation has been awarded $10 million to construct a new ferry terminal in Mukilteo.

Since Sen. Murray created the TIGER program, it has awarded $4.1 billion to 342 innovative, multimodal projects around the country, including $204 million going to 13 projects in Washington state. Past projects include the North Spokane Corridor, the Mercer Corridor Redevelopment, the South Park Bridge Replacement in King County, the West Vancouver Freight Access project at the Port of Vancouver, improvements to I-5 to relieve congestion around JBLM, and moderation of Terminal 46 at the Port of Seattle.

Background on Tacoma LINK Expansion Project:
•         Project approved by voters in 2008 as part of Sound Transit 2 Plan
•         Supported by Tacoma City Council, Pierce County, Sound Transit, Tacoma Public Schools, Group Health, University of Washington-Tacoma, Evergreen State College, Tacoma Housing Authority, and more
•         With expansion, the existing 1.6 mile streetcar line will gain an additional 2.4 miles, for a total system length of 4 miles
•         The expansion includes six additional stations with service planned for 17 hours/day
•         The expansion would connect downtown Tacoma to the Stadium and Hilltop Districts, where 25 percent of residents are low-income and 30 percent of households have no vehicle
•         The expansion would provide access to Tacoma’s “Medical Mile,” which includes major hospitals and medical centers, and five educational facilities serving nearly 17,000 students
•         Transit trips are expected to increase from 1 million to 3.5 million annually, for a daily ridership increase of nearly 85 percent

Transportation Forum a Huge Success!!

Last Friday's transportation forum, titled "Transportation in Tacoma for the 21st Century", included the insights of Tacoma's and the Puget Sound Region's top decision makers in transportation - Eric Anderson, City Manager of Tacoma; Lynne Griffith, CEO of Pierce Transit; Ric Ilgenfritz, Executive Director of Planning for Sound Transit; and David Hiller, Advocacy Director for the Cascade Bicycle Club - gleaned through a rigorous 1.5 hour question-and-answer session.

Over sixty people packed the Simpson Room of the Tacoma Chamber, a co-host of the event, to hear the thoughts of these transportation leaders. Topics such as the future of the Tacoma streetcar system, the Pierce Transit redesign process, collaboration and integration with Olympia and Intercity Transit, and more were covered as the audience peppered the speakers with thoughtful and passionate questions.

Perhaps the key question of the event, and the one that wrapped it up, came from Ben Ferguson of BLRB architects. Ben questioned the speakers on the establishment and communication of a broader vision beyond that of each individual organization represented. When the speakers answered his question with more emphasis of their own organizations' visions as well as a mention of the Puget Sound Regional Council's Transportation 2040 (which is meant to be a vision for the region), Ben pushed back again, challenging the leaders to "inspire us" with a vision into which we all can buy.

As is often the case, the "heart" of an event's topic is gotten at not through the leaders/experts invited to speak, but by an audience member willing to speak up.

Because of the success of this and the October forums, Transportation Choices Coalition along with its regular co-hosts the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce and the City of Tacoma will continue to host Friday forums in 2010, hoping to facilitate a discussion about transportation topics that are inspiring. Further dates and topics will be announced on this blog and on Transportation Choices Coalition's website.

We hope that you'll continue to join us in bringing transportation to the forefront of public discussion!