WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee and Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell announced July 28 that much needed funding for transportation priorities in the First Congressional District is secured under a bill that could soon be signed into law.
The Washington Democrats worked to get local projects on the list for federal funding that is part of the Transportation Equity Act, which Congress recently finalized. The bill authorizes $286.5 billion in federal funding for highways, ferries and transit programs through the year 2009.
“Communities from Bothell to Mukilteo to Kitsap County will see much needed traffic relief from this bill,” Inslee said. “My constituents would rather be at home with their families than stuck on I-5 in traffic.”
Murray said, “While the administration didn’t make transportation a national priority, we stood together to make the investments that will create jobs, improve safety and help lay the foundation for our region’s future economic growth.”
Cantwell said, “I’m proud of the way the delegation has worked together in these tight financial times to make sure Washington gets the improvements our communities need.”
Local projects on the list include:
• $2.4 million for the UW-Bothell/Cascadia interchange to improve the link between I-405, Highway 522 and the campus and alleviate congestion at the north campus access on Beardslee Blvd.
• $1.6 million for the Interurban Trail in Shoreline. The trail also creates a pedestrian bridge crossing off Aurora Ave. and continues regional trail improvements that, when completed, will unify communities from Seattle to Everett.
• $1.6 million for the Burlington Northern Sante Fe railroad trestle and bridge in Woodinville to improve traffic flow at a longstanding bottleneck at the railroad crossing south of Woodinville’s main interchange onto Highway 522.
• $2.6 for reconstruction of Aurora Ave. N. in Shoreline between N. 145th and N. 205th streets.
• $1.2 million for widening Highway 527 in Bothell-Mill Creek, widening the road from two lanes to five lanes with median landscaping where possible.
• $400,000 for an exit ramp at Alderwood Mall from I-5 southbound to the intersection of Alderwood Mall Boulevard and Alderwood Mall Parkway.
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