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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, February 1, 2008 U.S. 2 advocates make case for safety improvements By Jerry Cornfield, Herald Writer OLYMPIA -- East Snohomish County leaders and residents appealed to state legislators Thursday for help in making U.S. 2 safer for drivers In an hourlong hearing laced with emotion, they urged the House Transportation Committee to back legislation to tap existing pots of state money for improvements on the deadly route from Stevens Pass to Snohomish. "I don't think the question is what we can afford," said 21-year-old Russell Johnson of Everett. "The reality is what we can't afford. We can't afford to lose any more sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, and mothers and fathers. We must do something," said Johnson, who works for the Lynnwood-based Family Policy Institute of Washington. Tom Cock of Woodinville did lose his son, 17-year-old Thomas Turner, in a fatal accident Dec. 28. The Monroe teenager was the 47th death recorded on U.S. 2 since 1999. Cock said approving the legislation would represent a start at making some needed fixes on the "dismal and dangerous highway." "The pain, the devastation and the hurt have not subsided," he said of his son's death. "To die at 17 is a tragedy. To ignore the dangerous condition on Highway 2 would be a travesty." Thursday's hearing was the first in many years to focus solely on funding projects to improve safety on the route. It centered on legislation sponsored by Rep. Dan Kristiansen, R-Snohomish, to create a special fund for projects on three designated safety corridors -- U.S. 2 and highways 20 and 97. Kristiansen put forth three bills to fill the new account with money from three existing sources of income to the state. Specifically, 30 percent of the state's car rental tax, 30 percent of the fee paid on replacement vehicle license plates and 10 percent of the driver's license fee would be directed into the fund. Together, these would generate an estimated $17 million through June 30, 2009, and $29 million in the following two-year budget, according to reports prepared by the committee. That's only a drop in the bucket toward the $1 billion the state Department of Transportation says is needed to complete a number of projects to improve safety and reduce congestion between Snohomish and Skykomish. Several people said anything is better than nothing, which is exactly what U.S. 2 got out of the gas tax increases of 2003 and 2005. "We are in favor of any measure whatsoever that will bring funds for Highway 2," said Fred Walser, chairman of the U.S. 2 Safety Coalition. Rep. Mark Ericks, D-Bothell, one of the sponsors of the bills, recounted his days growing up in Sultan and getting his first traffic ticket from Walser -- then a state trooper. In his sophomore year, Ericks' best friend was killed in a crash. "Death on U.S. 2 was part of life" in Sultan, he said. Rep. Kirk Pearson, R-Monroe, another bill sponsor, grew up in Monroe. He said he learned to drive on the highway. He got his license in 1974 and that same year his mother's second cousin died in an accident on the route. "This is a statewide emergency," he said, referring to the number of deaths. "We're at the point where we need your help." The committee's leader, Rep. Judy Clibborn, D-Mercer Island, said they'll try to be responsive. "We will do our best to take care of the issues on Highway 2," she said. Reporter Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com.

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