SEATTLE — Three pressing concerns of Snohomish and Island county residents will be getting millions of dollars of attention in the 2008 transportation budget enacted Tuesday.
Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire signed the legislation providing batches of funding for new car ferries, safety projects on U.S. 2 and concrete barriers on I-5 in Marysville. The dollars are included in revisions to the two-year $7.5 billion budget adopted last year.
The budget also pays for unexpected jumps in fuel expenses of ferries and construction costs of building a train station in Stanwood and an offramp from Highway 522 to the University of Washington’s Bothell campus.
“This budget is going to improve the quality of life for everyone in the state, no question about it,” said state Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, who helped craft the plan as chairwoman of the Senate Transportation Committee. “From Spokane to Bellingham, there are projects that will make a difference.”
Rep. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, the ranking Republican on the House Transportation Committee, opposed it at every opportunity.
“It means the status quo is continued from Olympia,” he said. “They will try to spin this budget into something it is not.”
The budget contains $14 million for projects on U.S. 2, the largest investment in years toward making the highway safer.
Of the total, $10 million will go to improvements between Gold Bar and Monroe, where several serious injury and fatal accidents have occurred.
Another $4 million in county, federal and state money will be spent to grind centerline rumble strips and apply longer wear striping paint between Monroe and Sultan.
Republicans pushed for a larger sum.
“Ten million dollars out of a $7.5 billion transportation budget? It doesn’t indicate a commitment to the long-term needs of that corridor,” Ericksen said.
The budget also directs six additional state troopers to patrol the U.S. 2 corridor from Stevens Pass to Everett. They should be in place by July.
“It will make an immediate difference,” Haugen said.
Also in the budget is $26.9 million for installing a concrete barrier in place of cables on a section of I-5 from Marysville north. This is an area where the cable barriers have failed to prevent crossover accidents resulting in several fatalities.
Lawmakers spent a lot of time dealing with the ferry system. The budget steers $85 million into building three new vessels for the Whidbey Island-Port Townsend route, replacing the Steel Electric-class boats abruptly pulled from service in November.
“Today marked the start of moving forward,” state Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond said. “This budget continues to fund our projects and it helps us with the small boats.”
The first boat will be a Steilacoom II-class vessel similar to the one operating on the run today on loan from Pierce County. On Thursday, bids for constructing this boat are to be opened. The state hopes it can be built and launched by April 2009.
The 2008 budget earmarks another $283 million for three 144-car ferries for other routes.
Gregoire also signed several transportation-related laws Tuesday, including one aimed at improving how Washington State Ferries manages its fleet of vessels.
The governor had directed Hammond to draw up a timetable for replacing boats and preserving terminals. Haugen carried the legislation to get it done by 2009.
“For some reason, which is beyond me, the agency has never done this,” Gregoire said Tuesday. “This is one of those basics that you can’t avoid, you can’t delay, you have got to get it done.”
Hammond said: “We’ve all agreed and we’ve already begun doing it.”
Reporter Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com.
Transportation budget highlights
Here are a few items in the 2008 transportation budget enacted Tuesday.
U.S. 2: $10 million for safety projects between Gold Bar and Monroe; $4 million in county and federal money included for centerline rumble strips between Monroe and Sultan; six state troopers assigned to patrol the highway.
Ferries: $85 million for three vessels with up to 100-car capacity to replace Steel Electric-class on Keystone-Port Townsend route; $283 million for up to three 144-car vessels; $15 million to refurbish the ferry Hyak; $355,000 for added summer runs on Keystone-Port Townsend route.
Old boats: By July 1, the Department of Transportation must prepare a plan for disposing or selling off four Steel Electric-class vessels.
Ferry terminals: Unspecified amounts available to remove Unocal pier at Edmonds and lease land for added car waiting area at Mukilteo.
Barriers: $26.9 million to install concrete median barriers in place of existing cable barriers on I-5 between Marysville and Arlington.
Trains: $100,000 to study the potential of commuter service between Snohomish and Redmond.
UW Bothell: $47 million to build offramp from Highway 522 to the campus this year.
Other items: $18.5 million for higher fuel costs; $3.25 million to cover increased snow and ice removal expenses; $19.7 million to remove barriers for fish passage into streams.
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