OLYMPIA — With little debate, the Senate passed a transportation budget Tuesday that steers money into projects on U.S. 2, car ferries for Whidbey Island and concrete barriers on I-5.
The spending plan covers higher fuel costs of the state patrol and transportation departments and continues work on replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct and the Highway 520 floating bridge.
It also makes sure the rising construction bills of several projects, including the long sought Highway 522 offramp to the University of Washington’s Bothell campus, are paid. This is done by using money available now for projects not slated to begin for several years.
The Senate approved the budget on a 49-4 vote. Today, the House of Representatives is slated to act.
“This is a pretty bare-bones budget,” said Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, the chairwoman of the Senate Transportation Committee and one of the budget writers.
She said for the northwest part of the state, the big news is money for U.S. 2 and “we finally start building some new ferry boats: one small, two medium and three big ones.”
U.S. 2 will receive $14 million for improvements spread over the next three years plus the assignment of six Washington State Patrol troopers to serve on the route where 47 people have died in accidents between Stevens Pass and Everett since 1999.
Of the money, $4 million is earmarked for grinding rumble strips down the centerline between Monroe and Sultan.
The other $10 million will be for a project between Gold Bar and Monroe, a stretch where a number of fatal accidents have occurred.
Representatives of the Highway 2 Safety Coalition and the state Department of Transportation will decide what will be done. Depending on costs, it is possible that plans for a passing lane west of Sultan may be dropped in favor of changes around the intersection of Fern Bluff Road and U.S. 2.
“It is a small step for mankind and hopefully this will be a step toward saving lives on Highway 2,” Sen. Val Stevens, R-Arlington, said afterwards. Stevens voted for the budget.
She said Highway 2 needs to be four lanes wide between Stevens Pass and Everett and vowed “not to rest until we get there.”
The spending plan approved Tuesday includes:
n $26.9 million for replacing cable barriers with a concrete median on northbound I-5 in Marysville;
n $85 million for three vessels to replace the Steel Electric-class boats pulled from service in November and $283 million for up to three new 144-car boats;
n $355,000 to add two ferry runs a day on the Keystone-Port Townsend route from May 19 to Sept. 8;
n $100,000 to study the potential of commuter rail service between Snohomish and Redmond;
n $18.5 million for higher fuel costs for state troopers, ferries and the Department of Transportation;
n $16 million to cover the higher cost of constructing the offramp from Highway 522 to UW Bothell.
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