Drafter
Clerk 12/11/2002
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A MOTION authorizing the county executive to enter into a memorandum of understanding with nineteen partners for participation in and advancement of the Freight Action Strategy for the Seattle-to-Tacoma Corridor, generally referred to as the FAST Corridor.
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WHEREAS, King County is vitally interested in maintaining a vibrant and robust economy in the central Puget Sound region, and
WHEREAS, the ports of Seattle and Tacoma are major gateways to international trade with the Pacific Rim, and
WHEREAS, a major freight corridor extends through the Duwamish industrial area and the Green River Valley for industry and the transporting, warehousing, storage, and distribution of freight, cargo, goods, parts and equipment and materials, and
WHEREAS, recent interagency efforts have identified the elements of a strategic freight corridor through the Green River Valley and connecting the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, generally known as the Freight Action Strategy for the Seattle to Tacoma (FAST) Corridor, and
WHEREAS, the FAST Corridor work has involved: the ports of Seattle, Tacoma, and Everett; the cities of Seattle, Tacoma, Everett, Auburn, Kent, Tukwila, Puyallup, Sumner, Renton, Fife, Pacific, and Algona; the Burlington Northern & Sante Fe and Union Pacific railways; the Puget Sound Regional Council; the Washington state Department of Transportation's Office of Urban Mobility; and the counties of Pierce, Snohomish and King, which are parties to the memorandum, and
WHEREAS, the Freight Mobility Roundtable and the South County Area Transportation Board have been briefed during the development of the project, and
WHEREAS, completion of FAST Corridor projects will contribute to a highly efficient, reliable, and competitive freight mobility corridor, and
WHEREAS, interagency efforts have resulted in the identification of "immediate priority" projects that amount to approximately $360 million for the FAST Corridor, of which $222 million are within King County, and
WHEREAS, financing for FAST Corridor Phase I projects were in the following amounts: state (fifty percent); federal (twenty-five percent); ports of Seattle and Tacoma and both mainline railroads (fifteen percent); and local agencies (ten percent), and
WHEREAS, the agency staff representatives have proposed financing for FAST Corridor Phase II projects in the following amounts: state (forty percent); federal (forty percent); ports of Seattle and Tacoma (seven percent); the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad Corporations (three percent); local agencies (ten percent), and
WHEREAS, the county has demonstrated its leadership by working with the respective cities and participating in funding for early design work on three immediate priority grade separation projects that are part of the FAST corridor - S. 180th Street, S. 277th Street, and "C" Street SW;
NOW, THERFORE IT BE MOVED by the Council of King County:
The county executive is authorized to take the following actions:
A. Enter into a memorandum of understanding among the participating parties in the FAST Corridor effort substantially in the form of Attachment A to this motion; and
B. Provide assistance to lead agencies to implement FAST Corridor projects including financial participation, technical assistance and other supporting elements,
needed to advance environmental work, planning, predesign, design, permitting and construction.