Drafter
Clerk 07/01/2004
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AN ORDINANCE authorizing the King County executive to execute an amendment to the 1976 Memorandum Agreement regarding the Interstate 90 (I-90) corridor.
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STATEMENT OF FACTS:
1. The cities of Bellevue, Mercer Island and Seattle, King County and the Washington state Transportation Commission ("the parties") executed an agreement in 1976 that led to the eventual construction of Interstate 90 across Lake Washington.
2. The parties desire to amend the 1976 agreement to reflect current and future conditions along the corridor.
3. The parties desire to add Sound Transit as a signatory to this 2004 amendment, but not to the underlying agreement.
4. Sound Transit's Regional Express program includes a project to provide an all-day, two-way transit and high-occupancy vehicle ("HOV") facility on I-90 between Seattle, Mercer Island and Bellevue.
5. Sound Transit, the Washington state Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration, in consultation with the other parties, examined alternative configurations for I-90, and on April 25, 2003, issued a draft environmental impact statement to satisfy the requirements of both the National Environmental Policy Act and the Washington State Environmental Policy Act.
6. The Federal Highway Administration signed the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the I-90 Two-Way Transit and HOV Operations project on April 27, 2004.
7. All parties agree that the current configuration and operation of I-90 between Bellevue, Mercer Island and Seattle does not address today's demands and expected growth in the region; and a new configuration that helps move more people and goods is imperative to manage congestion on what is the busiest east-west corridor in the region.
8. All parties agree that Alternative R-8A with High Capacity Transit deployed in the center lanes is the ultimate configuration for I-90 between Seattle, Mercer Island and Bellevue.
9. All parties a...

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