title
AN ORDINANCE authorizing the King County executive to execute an interlocal agreement with the King County Ferry District relating to West Seattle water taxi service as a mitigation measure for the Alaskan Way Viaduct project.
body
STATEMENT OF FACTS:
1. On October 23, 2008, the Washington state Department of Transportation ("WSDOT") and the King County Metro transit division ("Metro transit") entered into GCA 5820, an Agreement for Enhanced Transit Services, for the Early Safety and Mobility Projects of the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement Program ("the agreement"). The projects that are the subject of the agreement are known as the Moving Forward projects.
2. Three interlocal agreements have been developed to transfer funds from WSDOT to Metro transit to mitigate traffic disruption on the Moving Forward projects. These mitigation funds will pay for buses, service hours, Transportation Demand Management activities and expansion of its electronic bus monitoring system.
3. WSDOT and Metro transit have determined the King County Ferry District's West Seattle water taxi and water taxi commuter shuttle ("water taxi") services can provide direct connections to alternative transit routes that would bypass anticipated traffic congestion associated with WSDOT's viaduct construction work.
4. The King County department of transportation's marine division is authorized to operate the water taxi for the King County Ferry District ("the Ferry District") pursuant to an interlocal operating agreement and it is expected that any viaduct mitigation-related service enhancements to the water taxi will also be operated by the marine division.
5. The proposed interlocal agreement between Metro transit and the ferry district provides for Metro transit to contract with the ferry district, an independent special purpose municipal corporation, in order to provide a mechanism to implement and fund supplementary water taxi services in furtherance of the traffic m...
Click here for full text