| |
Eastside lawmakers say its
time to stop holding
I-405, 520 bridge hostage
Eastside Republicans today
joined the governor in rejecting the City of Seattle’s proposed timeline
to place viaduct replacement options on a ballot before voters April 24.
Reps. Fred Jarrett, Jay Rodne and
Glenn Anderson said it’s time to move
forward on the Puget Sound region’s most critical transportation
projects.
Jarrett, lead Republican on the House Transportation Committee, said
moving funds from the less traveled Alaskan Way Viaduct to the congested
I-405 and 520 bridge makes fiscal sense, particularly when Seattle can’t
even come up with an acceptable timeline to bring the question before
voters.
“Today’s announcement to move forward from the governor is what we’ve
advocated from the start. The I-405 widening project and 520 bridge
project are critical to the long-term economic viability of the Puget
Sound region,” said Jarrett. “The state has an obligation to identify
the most cost-efficient manner in which to accomplish the state’s
transportation goals. Today’s announcement is a step in the right
direction, now the Legislature should move quickly to fund these vital
projects.”
According to Washington State Department of Transportation figures,
approximately 115,000 vehicles travel the 520 bridge every day and
between 145,000 and 205,000 travel the I-405 corridor daily, compared to
the viaduct at 110,000 vehicles per day.
“We certainly don’t dispute the need to find solutions for the viaduct,
the 520 bridge is literally sinking and falling apart, and I-405 is the
only viable option for expanded north-south capacity for the next
generation,” said Anderson, R-Fall City.
They pointed out the widening of I-405 has been a model project that
pioneered the use of corridor-level environmental reviews to save time
and assure environmental quality. Consequently, work to date has stayed
within budget and has been completed on time.
“Moving forward on a successful project like I-405 provides the most
value to taxpayers,” said Rodne, R-Snoqualmie. “Taxpayers can’t afford
to lose the advantages we’ve made up to this point due to inflation.”
“In addition, we have to keep in mind, when the Alaskan Way Viaduct
project does finally begin we will need the added capacity of a widened
I-405 to handle the traffic that will be diverted because of viaduct
construction,” said Anderson.
“The 520 bridge and I-405 are important to our daily commutes and future
economic vitality. For too long their much-needed improvements have been
delayed as a result of inaction on the Alaskan Way Viaduct. It’s time to
move forward,” said Rodne. “We know the governor understands our goals
and we look forward to continuing to work with her on these urgent
transportation issues.”
“This is only a start, but it’s a positive step toward finding
common-sense solutions to bring about positive changes for the folks who
are stuck in traffic everyday,” said Jarrett.
# # #
|
|