(1) For the purpose of allocating funds for the freight mobility strategic investment program, the board shall allocate the first fifty-five percent of funds to the highest priority projects, without regard to location.

     (2) The remaining funds shall be allocated equally among three regions of the state, defined as follows:

     (a) The Puget Sound region includes King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties;

     (b) The western Washington region includes Clallam, Jefferson, Island, Kitsap, San Juan, Skagit, Whatcom, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Skamania, Thurston, and Wahkiakum counties; and

     (c) The eastern Washington region includes Adams, Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Grant, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Whitman, Asotin, Benton, Columbia, Franklin, Garfield, Kittitas, Klickitat, Walla Walla, and Yakima counties.

     (3) If a region does not have enough qualifying projects to utilize its allocation of funds, the funds will be made available to the next highest priority project, without regard to location.

     (4) In the event that a proposal contains projects in more than one region, for purposes of assuring that equitable geographic distributions are made under subsection (2) of this section, the board shall evaluate the proposal and proportionally assign the benefits that are attributable to each region.

     (5) If the board identifies a project for funding, but later determines that the project is not ready to proceed at the time the legislature's funding decision is pending, the board shall recommend removing the project from consideration and the next highest priority project shall be substituted in the project portfolio. Any project removed from funding consideration because it is not ready to proceed shall retain its position on the priority project list and is eligible to be recommended for funding in the next project portfolio submitted by the board.

[1998 c 175 § 6.]