The I-405 corridor is a critical piece of Washington's transportation system. As a major center for Microsoft, Boeing, PACCAR and other businesses, its importance extends beyond its borders, both nationally and internationally. Yet, as a result of rapid growth in the corridor, traffic congestion is among the worst in the state, with some segments experiencing up to 12 hours of gridlock a day. In an effort to generate solutions for this vexing problem, the Washington State Department of Transportation undertook the I-405 Corridor Program, with PRR at the helm of its public information program.

The I-405 Corridor Program is a community-based partnership comprised of regional decision makers and interest groups in the corridor working to reach consensus on highly visible and controversial transportation improvements. PRR's public information challenge: 36 miles of corridor; 600,000+ population; 18 cities; two counties; 15 state, federal and regional agencies; and diverse stakeholders with diverging ideas about what should be done to fix I-405. To overcome these obstacles, PRR implemented a comprehensive public outreach program and decision process to raise awareness of I-405 as an integrated transportation system requiring integrated improvements, created an accessible, responsive planning process, and is building a sense of ownership for action by all jurisdictions, stakeholder groups and the public.

Central to the program were three committees facilitated by PRR: a citizen committee representing a wide range of interests along the corridor, a steering committee of senior level staff, and an executive committee of federal, state, regional, and local elected and appointed officials. In addition to workshops, open houses and newsletters, our outreach program included a speakers bureau, a project hotline, media relations program, public opinion surveys, and Internet-based consensus building and outreach tools.

In November 2001, following two years of consensus building and community outreach, the I-405 Corridor Program reached a landmark regional agreement on a comprehensive plan to reduce traffic congestion and improve mobility, safety and the quality of life for communities in the I-405 corridor. The consensus building process has been recognized with the Totem Award, Vision 2020 Awards, ASHTOs Smart Moves Award; ACTs award for Excellence in Public Leadership for TDM Program; the Consulting Engineers Council of Washington Gold Award, and the Presidents Environmental Excellence Award from the National Association of Environmental Professionals.

PRR continues to provide leadership in outreach and public information as the project moves to implementation through several design-build contracts.