Funding for the design of the Highway 522 access ramp to the University of Washington, Bothell/Cascadia Community College campus was restored by the state Legislature in the 2004 supplemental budget adopted last week.
The $3.5 million appropriation will fund completion of the design, which was stopped mid-project last July by a veto by Gov. Gary Locke. The budget still must be signed by the governor for the project to continue.
The interchange is a city of Bothell requirement for further development of the UWB/CCC campus. By local ordinance, the campus cannot grow beyond 3,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) students jointly without the south access. Currently, the FTE total of the two campuses is just under the 3,000 limit. The campus master plan calls for eventual growth to 10,000 FTEs.
Eighty percent of future traffic will use the South Campus Access, rather than the current North Access from Beardslee Boulevard.
Last year, the Legislature funded $8 million for construction in the 2003-05 transportation budget. An additional $8.1 million will be needed to complete the construction for a total cost of $16.1 million. If funding is secured, the project is scheduled to go to bid in October 2006 and be completed by fall 2008.
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