Imagine blowing off an opportunity to draw millions upon millions of tourism dollars to the Puget Sound, simply because an already needed and already approved highway project couldn’t be completed soon enough.
That’s what the region risks by not having the I-5 expansion through Everett completed in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics in British Columbia.
A legislative effort to complete the project by 2009 appears to have gained momentum. Puget Sound lawmakers need to push the idea through, ensuring an economic windfall in six years that would be foolish to miss.
That windfall won’t materialize for much of the region if a major construction project is underway between Vancouver and Seattle, creating a major traffic chokepoint and keeping tourists away. Current construction plans call for work to be in high gear during the Olympics, with completion all the way out in 2012.
Northbound traffic already crawls to a near stop every weekday through Everett, and the congestion will only get worse as the economy and job market finally rebound. An effort to expedite the project was promised to Boeing as part of the 7E7 agreement — an easy concession to make because it makes so much sense for the entire region’s economy.
Puget Sound lawmakers need to think and act regionally on this one, for their mutual benefit.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
