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Freight Action Strategy for Seattle/Tacoma Area (Corridor 35)
Routing
The Freight Action Strategy for the Seattle-Tacoma (FAST) Corridor involves freight
mobility in the Seattle-Tacoma, Washington, metropolitan area. The goal of this program is similar to that of the Alameda Corridor in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area: to get freight from the ports through urban congestion out onto mainline railroads. The particulars are different. In Los Angeles, the challenge was to link the ports with the mainline railroads several miles away. In Seattle-Tacoma, the ports are already close to the mainlines. FAST Corridor projects will include replacing selected mainline railroad grade crossings with grade separations.
This emphasis on freight mobility is related to the impact Seattle-Tacoma's ports have on the regional economy. Based on statistics from the Washington DOT web page, "the Puget Sound region is North America's second largest container freight gateway, with Seattle as one of the nation's most important port cities. The Port of Seattle is the fourth largest container port in the U.S.A., and the 20th largest in the world. International, national and local businesses use Seattle's port, rail and freight facilities to receive and export goods and merchandise world wide. One in five jobs in Washington State (nearly 600,000) are related to international trade. As the most trade-dependent state in the country, Washington's 1995 direct-export sales were estimated at $24 billion." Hence it is clear why Washington desired a high priority corridor to ensure efficient transportation of its freight and cargo.
The goal of the FAST Corridor is to facilitate the safe and efficient movement of auto and freight traffic (truck and rail) in the Puget Sound area. To accomplish this goal, high priority railroad grade crossings and port access connections have been identified. Projects have been targeted in Seattle, Tacoma, Auburn, Kent, Puyallup, and unincorporated Pierce County. Washington DOT is also working with local jurisdictions and the freight industry to improve freight movement in the state. Projects include acquisition and rehabilitation of light density rail lines, purchasing of equipment including hopper cars for grain shipments and locomotives, and preparation of various studies and plans.
Representatives from Office of Urban Mobility have met with the Puget Sound Regional
Council (PSRC), the Seattle-Tacoma region's metropolitan planning organization, since 1995 on defining freight mobility needs through the FAST Corridor planning effort. According to materials on the Washington DOT website, the FAST project is focused on north-south travel between Everett and Tacoma, and will include Interstate 5 (which is part of Corridor 30) and the rail corridor. The Freight Mobility Roundtable, a committee of public and private sector representatives, provides a mechanism for collaboration and input.
FAST will examine geographic specific capital and operational improvements such as dedicated regional freight capacity for inclusion in planning documents for the region. It will also refine a proposed program of grade separation projects for inclusion in freight mobility program proposals being developed at the state level.
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More information on the FAST Corridor on the Washington State Dept of Transportation home page. According to one page on the Washington DOT site, Dan Pike and Rob Fellows are the contact people for the FAST Corridor. They specifically requested e-mails from interested parties would like to see more information about freight mobility on the Internet.
Washington State Route 519 Project
According to Paul Henry's Washington State Highways Page, Washington 519 is a state highway designated along approximately 20 blocks of city street in downtown Seattle. Washington 519 starts at the western terminus of Interstate 90 just west of Interstate 5. It goes south for one block from the Interstate 90 intersection as Fourth Avenue South, then turns west along South Royal Brougham Way, passing near the new Seattle Mariners baseball stadium to the south. After passing under the Washington 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct, State Route 519 turns north onto Alaskan Way. Near its intersection with Madison Street in front of Colman Dock, State Route 519 ends at Seattle's main ferry terminal.
On the surface, the reason why this state highway designation exists may be because of a state law that every state ferry route must connect to a state highway on at least one end. However, another reason this highway is significant is due to Washington DOT's State Route 519 Intermodal Access Project, a joint effort between six governmental agencies. This project, which is related to the FAST Corridor improvements, will improve mobility along the city streets by adding a grade separation at the busy Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad track crossing along South Royal Brougham Way. Along with other improvements, the end result will be an upgrade to the capacity of the highway so it can better serve traffic between Interstate 90, State Route 99, the Washington State ferry docks, and the new baseball park. Since High Priority Corridor 35 emphasizes freight mobility and safety, it is clear that any connection between the port and ferry system, railroad system, and Interstate Highway System must be a top priority. State Route 519 is unique in that it connects to each of these systems.
According to the Washington DOT web page, improvements along State Route 519 are planned in stages, with some of the earliest improvements programmed for the beginning of 2001.
Page Updated June 9, 2002.
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