As US states look to find alternative methods to finance the maintenance and expansion of their road networks, a trio of leading infrastructure consultancies will assist Washington State with a Road Usage Charge demonstration project.
D’Artagnan Consulting has been awarded a contract with the Washington State Transportation Commission (WSTC) to prepare a detailed statewide Road Usage Charge (RUC) demonstration implementation plan in preparation for a project slated to start in 2017. D’Artagnan is working with Berk Consulting, WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff, and several DBE (disadvantaged business enterprise) firms. The work will entail updating the WSTC body of materials assessing RUC since 2012 that was successfully completed at the direction of the state legislature. The plan will address unanswered questions that remain, through testing and evaluation, with the intention of implementing the demonstration in 2017, with legislative approval.
The implementation plan will be completed by the end of 2016 for review by the WSTC, the Governor’s office, and the transportation committees of the State House of Representatives and the State Senate. It will include all details necessary to launch a RUC pilot test, including agency roles, technologies and methodologies, procurement strategy, recruitment plan, rigorous evaluation criteria, a communications plan, and detail project expenditure budget. The D’Artagnan Team will also actively consult, coordinate and receive guidance from the Department of Transportation, the Department of Licensing, the Department of Revenue, and the Office of the State Treasurer, as well as the WSTC-appointed RUC Steering Committee, in establishing participation and coordination parameters for the project.
D’Artagnan is dedicated to sustainable transportation funding, and the company’s pioneering work with public agencies and private companies spans conception through implementation of road use charging, tolling, other forms of road pricing, and intelligent transportation systems. In April 2015, the Western Road Usage Charge Consortium (WRUCC), a voluntary group of 12 state Departments of Transportation (DOTs), appointed D’Artagnan to aid the group’s investigations into alternative methods of road funding. Washington state is one of the members of the consortium, which also includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Texas and Utah. As part of the four-year contract, the company will investigate, develop, and potentially demonstrate various aspects of RUC as directed by WRUCC members.
D’Artagnan has also been awarded two further contracts by WRUCC members, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT), as the two states seek to study the potential of mileage-based road user fees.
