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Small amount approved for
Highway 2 safety in
supplemental transportation budget
Kristiansen fights for more, but amendments
rejected
State lawmakers in the
House of Representatives today approved a supplemental transportation
budget that contains $5 million for a new passing lane on westbound U.S.
Highway 2 near Sultan. However, majority Democrats rejected attempts by
Rep. Dan Kristiansen to appropriate further money to fix some of
the most dangerous sections of the highway where people have died.
Kristiansen, R-Snohomish,
says he reluctantly supported the supplemental transportation spending
plan because of the small funding for the 1-mile lane expansion.
"This is a small step. We
get a mile on a section of highway. There's 46 miles remaining that need
work. We ought to address the most dangerous sections of that stretch
and fix them so that no more needless tragedies occur," said
Kristiansen, R-Snohomish.
Kristiansen proposed
Amendment 1307 to redirect $339,000 to Highway 2 from various
administrative items, such as a staffing position in the Office of
Financial Management and a support position for the Greenhouse Gas
Emissions Report.
"This is a project that
ranks number six on the priority list of more than 50 projects. It
doesn't involve construction. It's moving paint lines so that we don't
have a passing lane going downhill. It would create a passing lane going
uphill, so that slow vehicles could be passed and not create the
problems we've had in that corridor," said Kristiansen.
The amendment was rejected
by a voice vote.
Kristiansen then offered
Amendment 1308 which would have directed Department of
Transportation performance audit savings into safety projects on the
deadliest sections of Highway 2.
"Forty-seven citizens have
died on Highway 2 in the last several years. I've lost a good friend.
I've lost neighbors. People back home are becoming skeptical about the
priorities in Olympia. We've talked about making safety a priority.
While I do respect the little amount of money we do have in this budget
for Highway 2, this amendment would go to a project that would have
potentially saved one-third of the lives that were lost since 1999,"
noted Kristiansen. "We're talking about 15 miles of road and 15 deaths
on this segment. The state auditor has found savings through
administration -- up to $24 million. Based on the $7 billion budget set
aside for transportation, we have an opportunity to take a few million
dollars from that savings to save lives."
House Democrats said other
highway projects on the state's priority list have gone through a
criteria-selection process, and the process should be respected.
"I think my point is made.
What project, based on the criteria we look at, should be more important
than the state's deadliest highway?" asked Kristiansen. "We're putting
money into a section of Highway 2 that has never experienced a fatality.
While I appreciate that we have this funding in the budget, the
amendment I propose is dealing with a section of highway that has
experienced one-third of all the fatalities. If we're not going to look
at the saving of lives as the number one issue, then what are we doing?"
The chair of the House
Transportation Committee asked that Kristiansen's amendment be rejected,
saying, "We are stuck in a way that we have no other resources."
The amendment was rejected
by majority Democrats.
"We had the opportunity
today through amendments I proposed to redirect money from
administration and paper shuffling, and turn it into asphalt and safety
projects for Highway 2. I'm very disappointed that the majority party
decided other things are more important than fixing the state's
deadliest highway."
The budget,
House Bill 2878, passed the House, 66-25. It now goes to the
Senate for further consideration.
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For more information, contact:
John Sattgast, Senior
Information Officer - (360) 786-7257
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