After many hours of negotiation, Jim Waldo convinced previously deadlocked parties to reach a compromise that cleared the way for Pierce County’s participation in the $6.9 billion regional transportation improvement plan on the November 2007 ballot. Pierce County officials were sharply divided over the size and scale of projects and on the verge of dropping out of the three-county plan. Waldo worked with the parties around the clock to broker an agreement that secured agreement on the projects. His success in helping to fashion an agreement guaranteed Pierce County’s involvement in this crucial transportation-improvement package, which includes critical infrastructure projects such as extending Highway 167 and replacing the SR-520 floating bridge.

GTH works for the Regional Transit Improvement District on government relations and helped develop a long-anticipated transportation package for Pierce, King and Snohomish Counties that will be part of the joint Roads and Transit ballot measure in the November 2007 election. Waldo and others have worked with cities, ports and counties, as well as non-governmental parties such as businesses, labor groups and environmental groups in developing this plan. The GTH team has worked to integrate the Regional Transportation Plan with the $11 billion Sound Transit proposal to build light rail and increase regional transit throughout the Puget Sound area.