(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) announced that funding she secured to boost Olympia’s transportation and economic development has been included in the final version of the Fiscal Year 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act. The funding will help create hundreds of jobs, expand the state’s ferry system, and revitalize the Olympia waterfront. The final version of the spending bill came out of a conference committee between the Senate and the House and is expected to pass both bodies shortly before being sent to the President for his signature.
As Chair of the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations subcommittee, Senator Murray has pushed to secure federal support for local projects that create jobs and invest in long-term economic growth.
Percival Landing Economic Development and Revitalization Project, Olympia: $1,071,400
This funding will provide for the replacement of the oldest portion of Percival Landing, an aging marine transportation access point to Olympia’s downtown and waterfront businesses.
Percival Landing redevelopment, including the replacement of the boardwalk for a more durable, multi-use structure, will provide approximately 200 jobs during the construction phase and facilitate the continued economic development of the Olympia waterfront.
“Rehabilitating Percival Landing will create jobs immediately, and it will help the economy long-term by ensuring that families can continue to safely access Olympia’s waterfront for years to come,” said Senator Patty Murray. “This is a strong investment in the region that is good for local businesses and good for the community.”
“Our community is fortunate to be able to provide physical and scenic access to Budd Inlet and the greater Puget Sound area—directly at the footsteps of Washington State’s Capitol,” said Olympia Mayor Doug Mah. “It is our duty and responsibility to utilize this opportunity to improve public safety, accessibility and economic development while making every effort to balance human use with the surrounding natural environment.”
The following additional projects were included in the bill for the Olympia region:
Intercity Vehicle Acquisition, Thurston County: $1,753,200
This funding will allow Intercity Transit to invest in eight hybrid transit buses to replace aging equipment and support continuing transit service.
The expansion of the Intercity transit fleet with new hybrid vehicles will reduce carbon emissions, help meet the growing transit demands in the communities of Tumwater, Lacey and Yelm, and help the community save money by reducing maintenance costs of an aging, less fuel efficient fleet of buses.
“Intercity Transit is grateful to Senator Murray for recognizing the need to replace our aging fleet of buses. The cities and communities in Thurston County will see great benefits from this purchase: better service, less congestion on our roads, and less impact on the environment,” said Mike Harbour, General Manager of Intercity Transit.
New Vessel Program – Propulsion System Acquisition, Washington State Ferries: $2,922,000
This funding will help to construct four new passenger-auto ferry vessels for the Washington State Department of Transportation, resulting in improved vehicle and pedestrian carrying capacity on three major ferry commuter connections in the Puget Sound service area.
This project will support approximately 335 family wage jobs in the State of Washington manufacturing propulsion system machinery and other ferry components.
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