SULTAN — The challenge to make U.S. 2 safer continues.

The Highway 2 Safety Coalition will meet tonight, its last meeting before the group applies for state and federal grants.

The group, which includes city and state officials, local business owners and residents, hasn’t decided on how much money it will apply for by the March 2 deadline, but it would likely be several million dollars, said Sultan Police Chief Fred Walser, who is also the coalition chairman.

The coalition was created in 1998 to improve the safety and capacity of U.S. 2, following several fatal accidents. Donna Newquist-Moore, Walser’s assistant, was one of the victims.

Last year, the group unsuccessfully applied for an $8.5 million federal grant for an environmental study along the highway, which must be completed before the highway’s expansion, Walser said. Walser and his wife, Donnetta, Monroe’s mayor, went to Washington, D.C., to hand the application to representatives in Congress in March 2003.

"Too much money, that’s what the federal government told us," Walser said.

Since then, the group has learned some lessons about how to write grants, Walser said. It’s been working closely with local offices of the representatives and the state Department of Transportation.

All the cities in the Sky Valley — Snohomish, Monroe, Sultan, Gold Bar, Index and Skykomish — have passed resolutions to support the coalition’s efforts this year, Walser said.

Many road projects in the state compete for state and federal funding, said Lorena Eng, a regional director of the state Department of Transportation.

The coalition may need to apply for several grants, instead of counting on a multimillion-dollar one, Eng said.

"We want to be realistic about what we ask for, in terms of amount of money," she said.

The coalition’s ultimate decision is whether to expand the highway into a four-lane road from Everett through Stevens Pass or to make the highway bypass the cities in the valley, Walser said.

"We are not going to stop," Walser said. "If we can’t get (funding) this year, we are going to come back."

Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.

The Highway 2 Safety Coalition meets at 7 p.m. tonightat Sultan City Hall, 319 Main St. For more information, call Police Chief Fred Walser at 360-793-1051.