FAST Corridor

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FAST Corridor

• Freight Action Strategy for Everett-Seattle-Tacom
  a
• Steve Sewell
• Parsons Brinckerhoff

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What is it?

• A 500 million investment
• A series of improvements separating vehicular and
  rail traffic
• A success!

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What Does it Do?

• Moves the Nations freight through a major trade
  corridor
• Fixes freight and general traffic bottlenecks
• Increases the competitiveness of Puget Sound
  Ports
• Creates and maintains jobs and economic health

4
What Does it Do?

• Increases train speed, which increases capacity
• Reduces traffic congestion at at grade rail
  crossings

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What Does it Do?
Before
After
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The Situation

• Ports of Seattle and Tacoma losing container
  market share to Southern California and
  Vancouver, B.C.
• Freight Mobility one of many factors
• Threat to regional competitiveness
• Container cargo a little known lifeline Freight
  doesnt vote

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What did we do?

• Three part strategy
• Educate
• Collaborate
• Legislate

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Educate

• Importance of ports and cargo to the regions
  economy
• Importance to the national economy
• The risk of doing nothing

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Importance to Washington State

• One of three jobs relies on international trade
• One-third of states agricultural products e.g.,
  hay, cherries, apples, are exported
• You get a twofer- improved traffic flows
• Improve safety
• Eliminate bottlenecks, streamline traffic
• Mitigate impact of freight and traffic growth

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Importance to the Nation

• Secondno thirdlargest container load center in
  the U.S.
• Asian imports are more than 90--Asia to comprise
  45 of world trade by 2015

• More than 70 of imports through the Puget Sound
  destined for Chicago and beyond
• Jobs across the nation rely on these imports

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Collaboratethe KEY

• Build Consensus on project priorities
• Truly a partnershipi.e, all take part in risk
  and reward
• Partners include the State, the three ports, the
  Federal Government, local municipalities, and two
  railroads (BNSF and UP)
• A lot of worksaved a lot at the next step

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Collaborate

• Freight Mobility Roundtable
• Public/Private Group sponsored by the local MPO
• Participants include Shippers, ocean rail and
  road carriers, logistics providers, ports, EDCs,
  local, state and Federal governmenteven
  consultants.
• An important forum

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Legislate The State

• We scared em
• Alameda Corridor
• Job impact
• State competitiveness
• We made it easy on em
• Benefits for the whole state
• Consensus made this the states No.1 priority for
  Federal funding
• Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board

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Legislate The Other Washington

• Again, no regional disputes
• Our delegation got it
• Bud Shuster and The Port of Chicago
• The Borders and Corridors program

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The Result

• A 500 million corridor, through which trade can
  flow and traffic move

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The Result

• Costs shared by partners
• Original Plan
• State 50
• Feds 25
• Ports 10
• Local 10
• RRs 5
• Negotiated adjustments based on changes

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The Result

• Ten of 15 projects complete or nearly complete
• Complete
• Under Construction
• Remainder completed by 06

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Whats Next?

• FAST Phase II
• Consensus
• Ten more projects
• gt260 million
• Jobs and Opportunities!!

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Thank You