Recommended Approach - Regional Transportation Investment District

A first-level screening of all projects based on the identified criteria provides a basis for comparison of individual projects against all other projects (See Guiding Principles/Criteria, “RTID Project Criteria, Indicators and Ratings,” and Project Ratings “Project Evaluation”). To move to a selection of the right mix of projects that deliver the most benefit, the following should be considered:

High-end mega-projects are too expensive
The region’s investment of many billions of dollars should be carefully targeted to efficiency and capacity projects in multiple locations in King County. Therefore the initial investment cannot support dedication of scarce funds to one or a few “mega-projects.” We should choose projects that can be constructed in a smaller scope or in logical segments that produce immediate benefits, and that retain the ability to add other project elements later to complete the full project scope.

Rational project phasing
The department's recommended list of projects incorporates recent information from WSDOT about the ability to reduce each mega-project scope to an initial investment in logical, beneficial project elements. Those projects recommended by KCDOT for funding by the RTID represent an initial investment targeting a number of the most critical bottlenecks on each of the region’s major freeway corridors.

Ensure that major facilities subject to catastrophic failure have been addressed
The Alaskan Way Viaduct (SR 99) and the SR 520 Bridge are structures of critical importance to the region; we cannot allow their loss to occur. All alternatives under consideration for SR 520, including KCDOT's recommended alternative, replace the bridge structure and ensure structural stability. In the case of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, current project alternatives include surface, tunnel and elevated structure options in the central Seattle waterfront area. Hence, the department's recommended list of projects includes an initial investment in partial replacement of the viaduct, addressing the southern approach first, which fits with any ultimate viaduct option.

Readiness
The RTID must identify opportunities to maximize the investments of other funding sources in combination with RTID investments. We should also ensure that individual projects are far enough along from a project identification, design, and environmental-process standpoint to move forward to project construction or implementation in a timely manner. Further, while each project must independently go through the environmental review and project selection process, the department's recommended list of projects has not yet incorporated the most recently available information about project status. However, the recommendation includes those projects for which implementation within 10 years is a reasonable assumption.