Imagine getting from Seattle to Vancouver, B.C. or Portland, Ore. in an hour. With Seattle being one of the worst cities in the U.S. for traffic, it seems like an unobtainable goal.
However, a new $1.5 million investment seeks to study the potential for these one-hour trips.
The main goal of the study is to identify potential corridors for ultra-high-speed ground transportation and estimate potential ridership and costs.
The Washington State Department of Transportation, Oregon State Department of Transportation, Province of British Columbia, and Microsoft have all joined forces, with each entity contributing funds to a study evaluating the potential for future ultra-high-speed ground transportation between the three cities.
The funding breakdown includes $750,000 from WSDOT, $300,000 CAD from the Province of British Columbia, $200,000 from OSDOT, and $300,000 from Microsoft.
This new study will build upon a 2017 analysis for a 250 mph transportation system in the Pacific Northwest. The past study was used as a business case evaluation for WSDOT and laid the groundwork for a more in-depth study to follow.
A new analysis is needed to continue Cascadia Innovation Corridor planning efforts, a cross-border coalition that brings together diverse leaders from across the Pacific Northwest to build a hub of innovation and commerce in the Cascadia "mega region."
WSDOT used a competitive process to select the engineering firm for the project and ultimately decided on WSP, a company that has worked on high-speed rail projects in California, the United Kingdom, and southeast Asia.
“We developed a vision for a better connected Cascadia mega region that will help our talented entrepreneurs, researchers and workers share knowledge and expand economic opportunity. The possibilities created by connecting our three largest cities via a high-speed transportation options are really exciting,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement.
Leaders from all four groups see opportunities and benefits from connecting the three cities via high speed transportation.
“Shrinking the distance between Seattle, Vancouver, BC and Portland will encourage greater collaboration, deeper economic ties and balanced growth for years to come," Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a statement.
The project is a shared vision to make cross-border transportation linkages faster and more accessible for the region's general public.
