In the 2023-2024 King County Biennial Budget Ordinance number 19546, $150,000 was allocated for a new study to look at the feasibility of increasing the efficiency of transporting freight through Stampede Pass. The study will benefit local trade, traffic congestion and our enviornment.  

The Stampede Pass rail corridor runs through the Cascade Mountains between Southeast King County and Kittitas County. The rail and highway corridors provide a critical route for goods from Eastern Washington to Puget Sound ports. There is a need to maximize this underused intermodal transportation route, which would be a positive change for not only the inland agricultural producers, but also the drivers who pass through Snoqualmie Pass.

Much of Washington state’s agriculture industry accesses export markets through the Northwest Seaport Alliance, the fourth-largest international container port in the United States. In 2018, Washington growers moved 3.8 million containers through facilities in Seattle and Tacoma. From farmers to consumers, many rely on an optimized freight transportation system to ship transport goods and internationally and across the country.

Purpose Statement:

King County is seeking an experienced firm or organization to conduct a study on Stampede Pass to understand how to increase the efficiency of transporting freight through the existing rail and highway passageways, in order to increase economic activity in King County.