Solving Traffic Issues for Both Freight and Cars in the Puget Sound Region

In 2009, according to the Texas Transportation Institute, Seattle was ranked 10^th in the nation in terms of traffic congestion. Commuters spent hours behind the wheels of their cars, simply looking at the license plates of the cars ahead of them.  Unfortunately, the problem has only gotten worse in the subsequent years.  In 2012, the city ranked 4^th in congestion, according to news reports.  It is a sad statistic, but there are some reasons to be hopeful.  For example, while it's true that people in the Seattle area are spending longer periods of time in their cars, just trying to move through the city, is likely in part due to road construction.

Because cars share the roads with trucks, congestion also negatively impacts the movement of freight and, ultimately, our region’s economic health.   For many years, state leaders have known that Seattle does not have an efficient system for moving freight, and they have attempted to allocate funds to fix the problem.  In 2005, the state legislature passed an increase in the gas tax – later affirmed by referendum – aimed at funding 274 projects over 16 years, including $542 million for 35 targeted freight mobility projects.

Critical projects being currently undertaken in the Seattle area include the replacement of the Alaska Way Viaduct with the Deep Bore Tunnel and the replacement and widening of the State Route 520 bridge.  Grade separations are being built in South Seattle and throughout the Green River Valley so that cars and trucks will no longer need to stop for passing trains.  The replacement for the South Park Bridge, which had to be closed because it was no longer safe for vehicle traffic, will be completed next year (this is a critical project both for South Seattle neighborhoods and for Boeing freight traffic).  North of downtown Seattle, the Mercer Street corridor is being reworked in a manner that, among other things, will ease the journey of buses and trucks from I-5 to the Port of Seattle’s terminals in North Seattle.  

But the 2005 measure does not address all of the state’s transportation needs.  A task force appointed by Washington Governor Chris Gregoire in 2011 estimated that the backlog in funding transportation projects in Washington State is at least $50 billion, though most important needs could be met with the expenditure of $21 billion over ten years. 

To meet the Port of Seattle’s 25 year goals to grow seaport cargo throughput to 3.5 million containers per year and to triple air cargo activity at Sea-Tac Airport, it is critical that the state complete the extension of State Route 509 from the airport south to Interstate 5.  Similarly, for the Port of Tacoma to meet its long-term growth goals, the completion of State Route 167 is needed.  Both of those are $1 billion-plus projects however.

Our conversations about transportation funding tend to focus on the merits of specific projects. That usually leaves out a discussion about whether the project complements a broader regional and national strategy.  Does it warrant the dollars it requests, compared to other projects still waiting for funding?

Roads and railways are only as effective as the system they support.  If U.S. ports are going to continue to generate the family-wage jobs and economic opportunity they have produced in the past, transportation funding needs this kind of a new framework, one that ranks projects that best support the economy that move goods from farm to market. Moreover, a properly planned, constructed, and maintained freight system – adding capacity and building grade separations where appropriate – also benefits passenger rail, buses, motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

Seattle Port Commissioner John Creighton Welcomes Beecher’s Handmade Cheese to Sea-Tac Airport

Most of the concession leases at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport are scheduled to come up for renewal during the period from 2015-2017.  The Seattle Port Commission has been looking at how they can improve revenue while protecting jobs at the airport, make the experience better for the traveling public, create more of a “Northwest sense of place” at the airport focused on Seattle area brands, and increase opportunities for small local businesses.  

Foreshadowing this new initiative, earlier this month Sea-Tac Airport welcomed the opening today ofBeecher’s Handmade Cheese in the C concourse. Founded by Tacoma-native Kurt Beecher Dammeier, Beecher’s Cheese joins the array of local specialty stores, along with nationally recognized brands, offered at Sea-Tac. 

Best known for its location in Pike Place Market, Beecher’s Handmade Cheese serves artisan, small-batch cheeses, tomato soup, fresh Panini sandwiches, “Oprah’s Best” macaroni and cheese with gourmet coffee from Seattle’s own Caffé Vita.  In addition, the store will offer retail products such as bulk cheese, signature crackers, cheese housewares and cookbooks by Kurt Dammeier and other well-known Seattle chefs. For the Sea-Tac location, Dammeier has also developed a breakfast menu and will soon expand offerings to include fresh fruits, pasta and green salads. 

“The Port Commission is committed to improving the airport experience for the traveling public while we expand opportunities for local businesses,” said Commissioner John Creighton.  “We are very excited to welcome local artisan cheesemaker Beecher’s to the airport family.”

Beecher’s Handmade Cheese is located on concourse C, across from the Alaska Air Group/Horizon gates and adjacent to the Massage Bar and butter LONDON. 

Sea-Tac Airport and Minimizing the Spread of Infectious Disease

According to theGlobal Health Strategic Mapping and Economic Opportunity Portfolio completed last year by the Global Health Alliance (WGHA) and City of Seattle's Office of Economic Development (OED) the global health sector is having a growing impact both in Washington State and around the world: 

·                     59 Washington organizations are conducting global health work in 156 countries;

·                     In Washington, 2,979 people work in global health. Outside of the state, these 59 organizations support an additional 17,275 employees;

·                     Washington has particular expertise in infectious & chronic disease and developing technologies & devices; and

·                     The Washington global health organizations surveyed collaborate with 1,574 partners, located in 111 countries across the world.

The growing global health sector in the Puget Sound is having a positive spillover effect in other sectors of the local economy as well.  For example, in March 2012, the UAE-based international airline Emirates began non-stop service between Dubai and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.  Emirates offers convenient connections to both Asia and Africa from its hub in the Middle East, and one of the factors for choosing to start service to Seattle was the amount of travel that local global health executives do to the developing world.

Infectious disease has always been part of the human existence, and the microbes that cause disease evolve as fast as humans can develop strategies to combat them.  As the world has become increasingly mobile, monitoring and combating the spread of infectious diseases have become even more important. 

As people travel, they often bring the microbes that cause infectious disease along with them.  If they move into communities in which vaccination for that disease is not common or is no longer prevalent, disaster can follow.   

Tuberculosis (TB) provides a good example of this concept.   Over the last century, the disease has become relatively rare in the U.S.  As a result, U.S. health officials have let their guard down with respect to TB.  However, over the last several years the number of TB cases in the Seattle-area has increased.

Changes in the TB trends often show up first in port cities with high rates of foreign travel, foreshadowing future increases in other communities.  Most of the new cases in the Seattle area, close to 75%, are being identified among immigrants from Southeast Asia, Africa, former Soviet states and Latin America. 

Airports are gateways to the world, and close to 33 million people traveled through Sea-Tac Airport last year.  Because of this, airports and aviation have the potential to unwittingly increase the rate at which disease spreads, particularly in the case of an international outbreak of communicable disease such as SARS or the bird flu. 

For airport operators, the main aims are to protect the health and welfare of travelers, staff and the public, and to reduce the opportunities for the spread of communicable diseases by air. Sea-Tac Airport therefore is constantly reviewing its emergency contingency plans and periodically conducting exercises together with federal, state and local government agencies to look at how the airport can most effectively respond to communicable disease outbreaks and minimize the spread of such diseases. 

When an infectious disease outbreak strikes, it is often our most vulnerable populations – populations that lack access to adequate preventive health care services – that take the brunt of the impact.  Health officials in Seattle are finding a significant amount of TB cases in the city’s homeless population.

Seattle is home to several internationally recognized organizations that are working hard to eradicate the threat of these infectious diseases. For example, one that I had the privilege to serve on the board of trustees of from 2003 to 2009 is Seattle BioMed.  Seattle BioMed (www.seattlebiomed.org) is dedicated to research toward diagnostics, drugs and vaccines against infectious diseases.   The diseases that Seattle BioMed focuses on include AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and many emerging and/or neglected diseases of the developing world, including Chagas’ Disease, African Sleeping Sickness and Leishmaniasis. 

Many organizations like this raise a significant amount of their funds through foundations and other major funders of research.  The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation based in Seattle (www.gatesfoundation.org) has become a leading funder of global health research.  However, they also rely very much on donations from the community in order to do this important research. While money is tight for many families in this economy, even a small donation to these research institutes is incredibly helpful.  It is something we should all consider.

Financial Stability and Environmental Stability Go Hand in Hand

Pollsters often ask potential voters to rank issues based on importance. In these surveys, readers are asked to take multiple concepts which may or may not relate in any way, and discuss which seem to be prominent in their minds and which could be ignored for now. It's a quick and clever way to determine what people are thinking about right now, but it could bring about misleading results. For example, in a Harris Poll conducted in 2008, 63 percent of those polled said economic growth was more important to their region, rather than the environment. In other words, these people were provided with a question that suggests that economic growth only comes about at the expense of the environment. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth.

In Washington State, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation, about 90 percent of diesel engines are privately owned, and many of them are used in order to move freight. About 29 percent of the engines in use in commercial heavy-duty trucks were made before 1989. By raising emission standards, officials can encourage companies to replace these older engines that can do so much damage to the environment. As each engine is replaced, fewer particulates are emitted and the air becomes just a bit easier to breathe. The environment benefits, but the economy benefits too. Older engines like this aren't typically as efficient as newer models, meaning that companies spend more in fuel and maintenance when they use older engines. By upgrading, they can reduce those costs and see an improvement in the bottom line.

This is just one of many examples of how strong environmental stewardship can translate into an improvement in a healthy bottom line. No matter what the pollsters might say, as examples like this make clear environmental policies don't kill business potential. The two concepts are actually complementary.

Innovative Programs Can Reduce Travel-Related Stress, Improve Business Opportunities

Airports are designed to do one thing: Help people and cargo move from one place to another.  While big boxes of computer parts or small envelopes filled with documents may not mind the time they spend in the airport, people have an altogether different experience when they travel.  In fact, according to a recent survey of 1,000 travelers conducted by Fairfield Inn & Suites, a not surprising 16 percent reported feelings of stress while traveling. 

Many companies make their employees spend a lot of time on the road in order to help them close deals or find new business. Unfortunately, employees who are stressed out are inefficient; distracted from the work they need to do on business trips.  

The Port of Seattle recently unveiled a program that aims to reduce stress and increase revenues. When travelers enter the airport, they're surrounded by the sounds of Seattle musicians. The music is relaxing, and it provides travelers with the opportunity to stop, listen and enjoy. Instead of bustling from one place to another, they'll have a moment to stop and relax. It could be quite beneficial, and these travelers might also be tempted to spend a little money on the music they've heard, or travel into the community to experience some of this music on a firsthand basis at local bars or clubs. Programs like this that transform airports from stressful places to meditative spaces, could help to lower stress and increase revenue. They're projects worth supporting. 

Infrastructure Projects Should Be Saved From Budget Cuts

The amount of freight moving on the nation's roadways increases exponentially, each and every year. For example, according to the now-defunct National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Commission, the number of freight trucks in the United States increased from 5.8 million in 1980 to 7.9 million in 2002. During that same time period, the average distance traveled by commercial trucks climbed from 19,000 miles to 27,000 miles per truck. It has only grown further in the last decade.  The rail and air transport industries have seen similar increases during that time period as well.

Keeping up with growth like this means ensuring that the country's system of roads, rail lines and airports is maintained and improved on a regular basis. However, during these times of shrinking budgets and continuing financial concerns, infrastructure expenditures remain low, and are in danger of dipping even lower in the years to come. According to a report in the National Journal, the budget group Taxpayers for Common Sense proposed a $188 billion funding cut to transportation funding, and a $50 billion cut to the Airport and Airway Trust Fund. The group felt these projects could be adequately described as "inefficient, effective or wasteful use of taxpayer dollars."

It's hard to convince people that infrastructure is important, when we are also seeing education and social welfare programs at risk of funding cuts, but it is important to remember that infrastructure projects mean jobs. With an efficient network to distribute their goods, companies can lower costs and spend more money on hiring employees.  More jobs in a community mean more tax revenue for local governments to spend on local needs, such education, emergency services or social programs.  We shouldn't cut back on these vital projects in the name of jobs, as the cuts will likely have the opposite effect. 

How Investments in Infrastructure Can Lead to Jobs

In September of 2009, when the banking crisis was in full swing and the US economy reeling, the unemployment rate rose to an astounding 10 percent, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics Data.  As of September 2012, the unemployment rate was much improved, having dropped to 7.8 percent.  Still, we have a long way to go before we can consider the economy fully recovered. While there are many paths we could take on the road to recovery, I believe that investments in infrastructure projects might be one of the most productive solutions to the employment problems we're facing as a country.  It is also one that would serve us well in terms of long-term economic growth.

When people think of infrastructure projects, they often think of roads and bridges that we as commuters use heading to and from work on a daily basis. While it's true that these projects do help to improve the lives of commuters, fix ruts and other maintenance issues in our roads that can lead to accidents, and reduce the amount of time that we are all stuck in traffic, infrastructure projects have a much larger impact on the economy as a whole.

Consider this: Most products that hit store shelves arrive via delivery trucks. Delivery or freight trucks also move needed parts from suppliers to businesses that use those parts to manufacture finished goods.  Those trucks must also move along the same public roads commuters use, and delays caused by inefficiencies or needed repairs make products all the more expensive to produce, and all the more expensive to purchase. As the U.S. Department of Transportation puts it, a slow, inefficient system of roadways means more driver time spent on the road, which means increased labor costs.  Poor infrastructure also means larger vehicles are needed, and repair and operating costs go up. When transportation costs increase to a level where businesses can’t compete, some may choose to go overseas as a way to reduce overall the costs of production, negatively impacting local suppliers.

Investing in infrastructure is just the right thing to do to keep our economy on track. It means lower costs, and more American jobs.