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Washington Division

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Semi-Annual Reports to WSDOT

Semi-Annual Project Delivery Report
With data from Federal Fiscal Year 2020 Quarters 3 &4
(April 1, 2020 through September 30, 2020)
Issue XXVIII - November 13, 2020


Olive Way Red Bus Treatment Details

Washington's First Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) Opened in Lacey, WA

On August 2, 2020, Washington's first DDI was opened to traffic. The DDI, located on I‐5 at Exit 111 (Marvin Road) in Lacey, was previously a diamond interchange that had become increasingly congested from surrounding development. The new interchange will also help ease additional congestion as the area continues to grow. Construction started in October 2018 and is scheduled to be complete by late winter of 2020. Our office encouraged the Washington State DOT (WSDOT) to explore DDIs for this interchange reconstruction and the one at I‐90 and SR‐18.


PCE Agreement Signed in Washington State

On February 4, 2020, a revised and updated version of the 2015 Programmatic Agreement for Categorical Exclusions (PCE Agreement) was executed for Washington State. It will be in effect for five years. The changes to the agreement are clarifying which CEs always require FHWA signature (those not specifically listed in 23 CFR 771.117 (c) or (d)), explicitly allowing electronic signatures, and allowing the agreement to cover any new CEs added to 23 CFR 771.117 (c) or (d) during the life of the PCE Agreement. CEs involving unusual circumstances also come to FHWA for signature. In 2019, 96% of CEs for Local Programs projects and 99% of WSDOT projects were approved by WSDOT under the PCE Agreement. As before, FHWA retains the responsibility for compliance with Section 106, Section 4(f), Endangered Species Act (ESA), and other regulations. The agreement requires FHWA to provide timely review and response to any request for coordination or consultation. WSDOT Regions are encouraged to consult and work with their FHWA Area Engineer as needed. The Division Office conducts an annual review of CE project documentation to verify compliance with the PCE Agreement and will continue to do so for this new agreement.


WSDOT Approved for Modified 48-month Bridge Inspection Frequency Criteria for 2020

On May 14, 2020, we were able to provide FHWA HQ's approval of WSDOT's request to use a modified 48‐month bridge inspection criteria for routine inspections for the remainder of 2020. This modified criteria was suggested to the Washington Division by the WSDOT Bridge Preservation Office (BPO) to help them optimize the scheduling of their bridge inspections in calendar year (CY) 2020. The official request for the modified criteria was submitted on May 13, 2020, the documentation forwarded to FHWA HQ, and approval were provided in just one day. This modified criteria will help WSDOT BPO get back on track with their routine inspections for 2020 due to the agency shut‐down from the Governor's "Stay‐at‐Home" order that was put in place in late March 2020. WSDOT BPO has been cleared to resume bridge inspections as long as additional safety precautions and procedures are implemented for applicable social distancing and safety equipment. To try and manage the backlog and continue inspections for the remainder of the year, WSDOT requested this modified criteria that has a risk‐based approach and could shift over 300 inspections that would be due in 2020 to 2022, meeting the modified 48‐month criteria.


First Fully Virtual Transportation Management Area (TMA) Certification Review Completed for the Benton-Franklin Council of Governments

On July 10, 2020 our office and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) jointly certified the planning process for the Benton‐Franklin Council of Governments (BFCG) in the Kennewick‐Richland‐ asco, WA Urbanized Area (UZA). The Transportation Management Area (TMA) Certification Review, which occurs once at least every four years, was completed through virtual meetings and in coordination with BFCG staff, along with the Policy Board and Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). Over the past six months, FHWA and FTA met with BFCG staff, the Policy Board, and TAC, to discuss various Federal regulations and requirements, along with BFCG's planning process, ahead of completing the TMA Certification Report. While FHWA and FTA documented several recommendations for BFCG, we are pleased that no corrective actions were identified. FHWA and FTA would like to thank BFCG, WSDOT, and other participants who were involved in this review and certification process. FHWA and FTA will continue to work with BFCG on recommendations to improve the transportation planning process in the years ahead. This MPO TMA Certification was the first fully virtual review process for the Washington Division. Due to the increased involvement from external partners at the MPO and WSDOT, and the positive feedback about the review process, the Washington Division will likely use this virtual approach for future TMA Certification Reviews.


TIMELINESS OF AUTHORIZATIONS / MODIFICATIONS

Chart: Timeliness of Auth-Mods - Days to Approve

The chart above reflects the number of days taken for the FHWA Washington Division to approve authorizatons / modificatons submitted into the Financial Management Informaton System (FMIS) from WSDOT. (Our Stewardship & Oversight agreement states we will turn around at least 90% of all requests within 5 days or less). For Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2020 as of September 30, a total of 1550 approvals out of 1602 project transactions in FMIS were approved within 5 days or less which equals 97%.

INACTIVE PROJECT PERCENTAGES AND TOTAL NUMBER OF INACTIVE PROJECTS
A total of 229 projects were inactive in the first and second quarters of FFY2020 (117 and 112), representing an inactive percentage of 1.3% and 1.0%, respectively. FHWA’s quarterly target is under 2% inactivity of total obligated Federal funds. The quarterly inactive percentage is found by dividing all projects inactive (projects with no expenditures processed for 12 months or more) unexpended obligation by each state’s total annual apportionments.



APPROVALS / ACTIONS


FHWA TRAINING, WORKSHOPS AND PEER EXCHANGES

Right-of-Way (ROW) Webinar for Local Public Agencies (LPAs) Draws a Crowd - The Washington Division Office ROW Program Manager, in collaboration with the WSDOT's Local Programs ROW Manager, presented a webinar for LPAs and ROW consultants in Washington on August 26, 2020 that drew an audience of 189. The webinar, titled "50 Ways to Lose Your Money", addressed ways to ensure that the requirements of the Uniform Relocation Act and the regulations both in 49 CFR 24 and 23 CFR 710 are met so that no occurrences of non‐compliance result that could jeopardize federal participation in the project. This webinar, which our ROW Program Manager has been doing both locally and nationally since 2004, has been a popular vehicle for emphasizing the importance of regulatory compliance and what it means for persons affected by federally‐funding projects. This is the first of a series of webinars that we will be doing for LPAs in Washington on a variety of ROW topics. Future webinars currently scheduled will address topics such as the ROW Certification process, Business Relocation moving options, and the basic requirements of the Uniform Act.

Washington Division Holds First Virtual "Listening Session" with WSDOT Olympic Region (OR) - The Washington Division Leadership Team goes to each WSDOT Region annually for information sharing and exchanging. We have been doing this for almost two decades via in‐person meetings. Due to this year's special condition, we held the first virtual listening session via Microsoft Teams with the OR on September 9th, 2020. There were a total of 21 participants from both our office and the OR. The OR briefed on the program and achievements for the current biennium (19‐21) and shared their safety and pavement construction budget for the next biennium (21‐23). The OR also shared innovative project delivery methods such as Progressive Design‐Build (PDB) on the fish barrier replacement program and pilot projects using Planning & Environmental Linkages (PEL). We shared our recent staff changes, the reviews conducted in FY2020, and Every Day Counts VI Initiatives (see below). The OR also expressed their desire for future training and technical assistance needs. At the end of the meeting the OR Administrator shared progress of their new Region office building, which currently is under construction and will be ready to move into next spring.

Every Day Counts (EDC) VI Summit (Coming Dec. 8-10) - Every two years, FHWA works with state transportation departments, local governments, tribes, private industry and other stakeholders to identify and champion a new collection of innovations that merit accelerated deployment through the EDC Program. The seven innovations selected for EDC VI are:

To register for the EDC VI summit go to: https://www.labroots.com/ms/virtual‐event/fhwa‐everyday‐counts‐6‐virtual‐summit More information on EDC can be found at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/everydaycounts/


TIMELINESS OF ER Damage Inspection Reports

A chart showing the timeliness of emergency relief damage inspection reports and the number of days it took to approve them.

This chart shows the timeliness of FHWA Washington Division approval for Emergency Relief (ER) damage inspection reports. Our goal is to approve 90% of these reports within 10 days of receipt. ER reports that exceed 16 days are delayed typically due to external permits, need for additional information, and other factors.



FEDERAL GRANTS

FHWA Awards $3.4 Million ATCMTD Grant to WSDOT ‐ On June 16, FHWA awarded a $3.4 million Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) grant to WSDOT for the Deployment of a Virtual Coordination Center (VCC) for Multimodal Integrated Corridor Management project. This project will use real‐time data and deploy a robust cloud‐based system to enable a multi‐agency, multi‐modal integrated corridor management effort in coordinating responses to clear roadway incidents quickly and reduce congestion. The VCC will gather data from seven Seattle‐area transportation management agencies and share through a common dashboard so responders across all the agencies can see incidents as they happen, coordinate responses, and distribute unified public messages.


FHWA Awards $5.525M STSFA Grant to WSDOT - On July 2nd, FHWA announced that WSDOT in partnership with the Washington State Transportation Commission (WSTC) was awarded a $5.525 million Surface Transportation System Funding Alternatives (STSFA) grant for their "Forward Drive" Washington Road Usage Charge (RUC) Demonstration Project. This project is designed to probe and improve upon the implementation challenges discovered during their recent completed Washington RUC Assessment and Pilot project. The Forward Drive Project will expand upon the implementation challenges discovered during the recently completed Washington RUC Assessment and Pilot Project that was developed and completed under a 2016 STSFA $3.847 million grant and a 2017 STSFA $4.6 million grant. The Forward Drive Project will:

The project proposes a 6‐month limited scale pilot to test the various findings and proposed enhancements. A final project report is scheduled for spring 2024.


Discretionary Grant Amendment - Geiger Boulevard Infrastructure Improvements Project - We have been working with WSDOT and Spokane County for several months and recently approved amendment #1 to the FY 2018 BUILD Geiger Boulevard Infrastructure Improvements Project Grant No. 9. This amendment was necessary to allocate the remaining BUILD award funding that will be used for the Phase 2 of the project. The original agreement only allowed for obligation of the Base Phase portion of the project. Now that construction is underway this amendment allows WSDOT to obligate the available remaining $9,786,500 in BUILD Grant funding. The total grant award received is $14,300,000 and will now be fully obligated.


Olive Way Red Bus Treatment Details

Approval for Optional Use of Red-Colored Pavement - On September 14, 2020 WSDOT received approval from FHWA HQ for the statewide optional use of red‐colored pavement under Interim Approval 22 (IA‐22). IA‐22 allows for red‐colored pavement, either dye in the pavement material or paint, to be used on the travel way dedicated for transit vehicles, or where transit vehicle use is the primary use of the facility. Several agencies within Washington State have or plan to use red‐colored pavement in transit only lanes, most notably, the City of Seattle in spot improvements facilitating transit within the downtown area. (Photos to the right depict how the Bus Only


For more information contact:
Dan Mathis
Division Administrator
FHWA Washington Division
Bruce Moody
Program Management Analyst
FHWA Oregon/Washington Division
Green Washington State with Department of Transportation Emblem
Page last modified on December 8, 2020
Federal Highway Administration | 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE | Washington, DC 20590 | 202-366-4000