TagPuget Sound(35)

This appendix from the Destination 2030 Metropolitan Transportation Plan examines environmental justice in the central Puget Sound region, analyzing how transportation costs and benefits are distributed among minority and low-income populations across King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish counties. Using 1990 Census data and 1997–1998 estimates, it finds that low-income populations are concentrated in Seattle, Tacoma, and Everett, while the region's minority population stands at roughly 15 percent, with the highest concentrations in northern Pierce County and southwestern King County. The analysis was conducted to ensure that burdens and benefits of the regional transportation plan are equitably shared across groups defined by race, income, age, or disability.

This document is a resources and references section from the Puget Sound Regional Council's 'Destination 2030' metropolitan transportation plan, listing planning publications, environmental impact statements, and transportation policy reports relevant to the Central Puget Sound region. It includes references to the SeaTac Airport Master Plan Update and its Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, alongside broader regional transportation and growth management studies. The document also credits the full Regional Council project team and policy board members involved in developing the plan.

Destination 2030 is a long-range regional transportation action plan for King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Kitsap counties in the central Puget Sound area of Washington state, designed to address growing traffic congestion as the region prepares for an additional 1.5 million residents and 800,000 new jobs. The plan outlines over 2,200 specific projects—including more than 2,000 miles of new and improved roadways, expanded transit services, and new walkways and bikeways—to improve mobility across the region by 2030. It also emphasizes coordinating land use and transportation planning to support sustainable growth while preserving environmental quality.

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency's 'State of the Airshed' report reviews progress on the agency's 2014 Strategic Plan, which aimed to protect public health, improve neighborhood air quality, and reduce the region's contribution to climate change across King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish counties. The report examines how the agency met or fell short of its goals amid regional growth and challenges such as wildfire smoke and the COVID-19 pandemic. Note: This document focuses on air quality and does not contain information related to Sea-Tac Airport noise policy.

This 2021 annual review by the Washington State Department of Health assesses water quality and shellfish harvesting conditions in Poverty Bay, located near Des Moines and Federal Way. The area holds a mix of Approved, Conditionally Approved, and Prohibited classifications, with most stations meeting bacteriological standards, though Station 701 and Station 720 raised concerns due to elevated fecal coliform levels. Pollution sources such as stormwater runoff and past sanitary sewer overflows continue to be monitored, with ongoing correction efforts supported by Public Health Seattle-King County grant funding.

A November 2021 WSDOT presentation outlines the SR 509 Completion Project, part of the broader Puget Sound Gateway Program, which aims to build new highway connections linking the region's ports and distribution centers between 2020 and 2028. The project includes several construction stages covering new expressway segments, interchange improvements at I-5/SR 516, and a Lake to Sound Trail component in the area south of Seattle near Sea-Tac Airport.

The Puget Sound Gateway Program, presented at a Highline Forum in September 2018, outlines two highway completion projects—SR 509 in King County and SR 167 in Pierce County—designed to improve freight movement between the ports of Seattle and Tacoma and key distribution centers. Among its key benefits, the program includes a new south access point to Sea-Tac Airport and aims to reduce congestion on local roads surrounding the airport. Funding for the program combines state, local, federal, and toll revenue sources, with electronic tolling on all new lanes expected to begin as early as 2025.

The Regional Transportation Plan — 2018 is a draft planning document produced by the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) in May 2018, outlining the regional transportation vision and investment priorities for the greater Puget Sound area, including King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Kitsap counties. Funded in part by federal transportation agencies and Washington State, the plan addresses multimodal transportation networks including roads, transit, and non-motorized travel. Note: this document does not specifically address Sea-Tac Airport noise policy and may have limited relevance to airport noise concerns.

The Puget Sound Regional Council's 2018 Regional Transportation Plan outlines how the central Puget Sound region, which has seen rapid population and job growth since 2010, intends to manage an additional one million residents by 2040. The plan details major investments across highway, transit, rail, ferry, bicycle, and pedestrian systems to reduce traffic congestion and better connect housing, employment centers, and freight hubs. It aims to provide equitable access to the region's natural, cultural, and recreational assets while keeping the transportation system sustainable through projected growth.