PORT OF SEATTLE 
MEMORANDUM 
COMMISSION AGENDA               Item No.       6d 
ACTION ITEM             Date of Meeting    June 4, 2013 

DATE:    May 23, 2013 
TO:      Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
FROM:   Dan Burke, Program Lead Planner, Public Affairs 
Christine Wolf, Seaport Transportation Program Planner, Seaport Division 
SUBJECT:  Interlocal Agreement with the City of Seattle for the Seattle Industrial Areas
Freight Access Project 

Amount of This Request:  $250,000        Source of Funds:    Federal Grant, 
No POS funds involved 
Est. State and Local Taxes: $0             Est. Jobs Created:   5 
Est. Total Project Cost:    $283,690 
ACTION REQUESTED: 
Request Commission authorization for the Chief Executive Officer to enter into an interlocal
agreement substantially as drafted with the City of Seattle to reimburse the City of Seattle up to 
$250,000 in Federal Surface Transportation Program (STP) grant funds awarded to the Port of
Seattle for the Industrial Areas Freight Access Project. 
SYNOPSIS: 
Freight mobility is critical to the Port of Seattle's mission and the economy and vitality of the
City of Seattle. Increasing traffic congestion and development in the Manufacturing and
Industrial Centers (MICs) of Seattle makes it more difficult to move freight safely and
efficiently. The Port and City work together on a number of programs and projects related to 
freight infrastructure and freight mobility improvements. In 2012, the two agencies jointly 
prepared a successful federal STP grant application for $250,000 for a project designed to
evaluate and recommend ways to improve freight mobility within and through the Duwamish
and the Ballard Interbay Northend MICs and the regional transportation network. 
Although the City was ineligible to compete directly for these specific grant funds, the Port was
eligible and submitted the grant application with the intention of reimbursing the City for work
done by its consultants on the project. This project is a building block toward Seattle's Freight
Master Plan, which will begin in the fall of 2013. The project will also be coordinated with the
Seaport's effort to update its Container Terminal Access Study, eliminating duplication of effort

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
May 23, 2013 
Page 2 of 2 
and maximizing public benefit. Under the interlocal agreement with the City, the Port will
continue its role in jointly managing the project with the City, participation in selecting the
consultant, preparing recommendations, and drafting a final report. 
An interlocal agreement is required because, while the federal funds are granted to the Port, the
City will be the lead agency with responsibilities for administering the project. The interlocal
agreement documents the responsibilities of each agency and defines a process for completing 
the project. The Draft Interlocal Agreement and Request for Qualifications (RFQ) are attached to 
this memorandum. 
BACKGROUND: 
The Port of Seattle derives its legal authority to act from its enabling statutes, Title 53 RCW and
Chapter 14.08 RCW. 
Under the Interlocal Cooperation Act, Chapter 39.34 RCW, the Port and City may join together
to undertake and accomplish a project as long as each has independent legal authority to
undertake the project. Since the Port has legal authority to spend funds to accomplish the
project's scope of work, which relates to improving truck-freight mobility and to the Port's
ability to attract and retain tenants and engage effectively in economic development, the Port and
City may enter into an interlocal agreement pursuant to RCW 39.04.030. 
PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 
The purpose of the project is to develop and carry out a focused and pragmatic technical
approach to identifying and evaluating current and future freight bottlenecks and problem
locations affecting the City's MICs, leading to a set of cost-effective operational and/or capital
improvements. These improvements are aimed at maintaining and improving freight mobility
access and circulation within and between the Greater Duwamish and Ballard Interbay Northend
MICs, including the key connections from the MICs to the regional transportation system. The
project will also identify improvements from the Port of Seattle's facilities to nearby rail yards.
The project will promote regional and international economic competitiveness. 
The findings from this project will be incorporated into the future Seattle Freight Master Plan
providing a comprehensive vision for freight transportation for the MICs and the City in general. 
Project Goal: 
The goal of the project is to identify transportation improvement projects within the project area
that will: 
Maintain and improve freight-truck mobility and access to accommodate expected
general traffic, freight and cargo growth. 
Ensure connectivity for major freight intermodal and trans-loading facilities. 
Increase safety for all travel modes. 
Reduce environmental impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions.

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
May 23, 2013 
Page 3 of 3 

PROJECT SCOPE OF WORK AND SCHEDULE: 
Scope of Work: 
Below is an outline of the Scope of Work for the Project: 
Assess existing conditions, data needs, trends, and future conditions for long-haul
regional, drayage and urban pick-up delivery truck-freight movement needs. 
Identify, evaluate, and recommend a prioritized list of capital and operational
improvements including options for freight truck priority on Major Truck Streets and Port
terminal connector routes. 
Identify potential changes to the City's Major Truck Street network. 
Identify project, policy and programmatic issues for further evaluation within a
comprehensive Seattle Freight Master Plan. 
Identify potential design guideline revisions for the Seattle Right-of-Way Improvements
Manual. 
Engage key stakeholders throughout the study process. 
A more detailed scope of work, which was prepared jointly by staff from the Port and the City, is
attached to this document as part of the RFQ.. 
Schedule: 
Below is a list of key schedule milestones for the project: 
Scoping: January/April, 2013 
Interlocal Agreement: (Port and City) June 2013 
Request for Qualifications: June 2013 
Obligate funds from WSDOT: June 2013 
Commission authorization to enter into an interlocal agreement with the City of Seattle:
June 2013 
Consultant Selection: July 2013 
Begin Project: August 2013 
Complete Project: March 2014 
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: 
Except for staff time, there are no financial implications to the Port of Seattle. The project is
funded by a federal grant, awarded to the Port as part of the 2012 Federal STP grant competition.
The funds will be used to reimburse the City for work done on the project. 
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES: 
The project supports the Century Agenda objective to position the Puget Sound region as a
premier international logistics hub.

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
May 23, 2013 
Page 4 of 4 

OTHER DOCUMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS REQUEST: 
Draft Interlocal Agreement 
Request for Qualifications 
PowerPoint 
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS: 
None