TagWSDOT(123)

The Highline Forum held its end-of-year meeting on November 20, 2019, at Des Moines Beach Park Event Center, featuring updates on airport noise mitigation from the Port of Seattle's StART program, a SR 518 Corridor Study presentation by WSDOT, and planning discussions for 2020 meeting topics. The forum, co-chaired by Commissioner Felleman, brings together regional stakeholders to address issues related to Sea-Tac Airport's impact on surrounding communities. Six bimonthly meetings were scheduled for 2020, each running from 2:30pm to 4:30pm.

This draft document, updated October 2019, summarizes an obstruction removal study conducted near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, identifying 174 trees that penetrate or are predicted to penetrate FAA-required airspace surfaces. The trees are distributed across multiple property owners, with WSDOT holding the largest share (102), followed by Highline School District (26), private owners (19), SeaTac (21), and the Port (6). The study, which involved LIDAR scanning, FAA-approved analysis, and field verification, classifies the obstructions as topped, existing, or potential future penetrations, with conifers making up the vast majority of affected trees.

This 2019 WSDOT report analyzes noise barriers along the SR509 Phase 1 highway alignment near the Sea-Tac area, evaluating whether proposed sound walls meet feasibility and cost-reasonableness standards. Wall 3 was rejected because it could not achieve the required 5 dB noise reduction for nearby residents. Wall 4 met the technical noise-reduction threshold but was ultimately rejected because its estimated cost of $111,478 exceeded the allowable budget of $72,254.

A community analysis of the SR 509 highway extension near Sea-Tac Airport warns that the project will significantly increase truck and vehicle traffic through Burien, worsening air quality and noise for nearby residents. Critics argue that neither WSDOT nor the FAA has conducted adequate site-specific or cumulative impact studies, despite actual emissions being nearly three times higher than 1996 projections and the area already being identified as an environmental justice community. The document calls for a comprehensive cumulative analysis of combined highway traffic and airport operations to properly assess public health risks.

The Highline Forum held its September 26, 2018 meeting in Normandy Park, focusing on SR 509 and SR 518 transportation projects alongside Seattle-Tacoma International Airport-related topics. The agenda included updates on the Sustainable Airport Master Plan, the StART (Sea-Tac Airport Roundtable) community engagement program, and airport noise programs, presented by Port of Seattle officials. Infrastructure improvements in Normandy Park and a WSDOT briefing on regional highway gateway projects were also on the agenda.

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.