WASHINGTON — Millions of dollars for regional transportation
projects in Washington have been included in the fiscal 2011
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill,
thanks to Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.
The bill includes about $5
million for projects in the Tri-City area, including the ongoing Highway
12 improvements between the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla.
The money
was included in the bill by Murray, who’s chairwoman of the
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee.
“Especially now, it is critical to steer funding into transportation
projects that create jobs and boost local economies in our backyard in
Central Washington,” Murray said in a statement.
For the Tri-City
area, the bill proposes $1 million for Ben Franklin Transit to help
replace its aging vehicle fleet; $1.4 million for rail improvements at
Big Pasco Industrial Center; $1 million for the Red Mountain Interchange
project; $500,000 for pedestrian pathways and transportation
improvements in the Southridge area; and $1 million for right of way
acquisition for Phase 7A of the Highway 12 project.
Murray also
included millions of dollars for other Eastern Washington projects,
including $2 million for rail improvements at the Port of Moses Lake, $1
million for Grant County Transit to build a new administration building
and $1.3 million for an underpass on MLK Boulevard in Yakima’s business
district.
The bill, which was approved Wednesday by Murray’s subcommittee, now goes to the full Appropriations Committee.
Many Tri-City public officials lauded Murray’s efforts.
Randy
Hayden, director of planning and engineering at the Port of Pasco, said
Murray understands the importance of transportation to spur economic
growth and create jobs.
The $1.4 million for the port would help
the port continue its rail infrastructure rehabilitation project that
began in 2005. Hayden said a rail-link helps to recruit manufacturers
and provide a way to ship local products. If the port gets the money,
construction of a new mile-long track will start next spring, he said.
“Once
again, Sen. Murray has come through for the citizens of the
Tri-Cities,” said Benton County Commissioner Leo Bowman, referring to
the money designated for two projects along Interstate 82. The money
would pay for engineering and design and “get us to be shovel-ready,” he
said.
The two-part project would help construct a roundabout at
the intersection of Highway 224 and Highway 225 near I-82 in Benton City
and create a new Red Mountain interchange at Milepost 100 on I-82.
Both
projects, which are estimated to cost $30 million, would improve
traffic flow at the five-legged intersection at the Benton City
interchange and provide more direct access to the Red Mountain winery
area and West Richland, Bowman said. The projects also would improve
emergency response times to the area by up to 50 percent, which can be
critical in crisis situations, he said.
Kathy McMullen, Ben
Franklin Transit’s manager of service development, was excited about the
possibility of getting money. “It’s very much needed. We want some new
buses for folks to ride in,” she said.
Fourteen of the system’s
buses date to 1988, McMullen said. They have about 1 million miles on
them and cost more to maintain, she said.
It would cost about $10
million to replace all old buses with new hybrid buses, McMullen said,
and Ben Franklin Transit will seek additional federal money to do that.
“We appreciate Sen. Murray’s help,” she said.
Jim Kuntz, executive
director of the Port of Walla Walla, which led efforts for the Highway
12 improvements, shared a similar sentiment. “Things will start rolling
now,” he said.
Highway 12 work has already received $2 million
from the state Legislature to help complete design, environmental
assessment and land acquisition for Phase 7A, which includes building a
new 5.5-mile, multilane highway from Nine Mile Hill north of Touchet to
near Lowden.
The state Department of Transportation needs to
purchase about 340 acres for the work and the proposed $1 million in
federal money would be a great help to move the project forward, Kuntz
said.
– Tri-City Herald
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