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Local projects funded in the House and Senate transportation budgets

Post by Jordan Schrader / The News Tribune on March 22, 2011 at 2:58 pm |
March 22, 2011 2:58 pm

The Senate transportation budget was released today by a bipartisan group of Senate Transportation Committee members, a day after the House’s version was released.

Outside of the ferry system (more on that below), the two proposals are fairly similar, reflecting a lack of money to pursue many new projects beyond those already in the pipeline.

Both budgets restore cuts Gov. Chris Gregoire would have made to transit agency grants. Locally, the program would spend $3.5 million on a Hawks Prairie park-and-ride project and $3 million on the planned commuter rail connection to Lakewood. The Senate version also would provide $701,000 for Pierce Transit to improve bus access in Parkland.

Here are some of the South Sound road projects funded in both the Senate and House budgets, virtually assuring that they will see work in 2011-13:

  • Continue extension of HOV lanes on Interstate 5 in Pierce County, $320 million in 2011-13.
  • Continue adding lanes on I-5 between Grand Mound and Centralia, $82 million.
  • Continue work on interchange of I-5 with state Route 18, $45 million.
  • Replace state Route 162 bridge over Puyallup River, $5.3 million.
  • Replace state Route 167 bridge over Puyallup River, $2.8 million.
  • Rebuild the I-5/U.S. 12 interchange at Grand Mound, $16.4 million.
  • Finish adding lanes to state Route 161 in Edgewood, $12.8 million.
  • Repave a stretch of I-5 in Tumwater, $2.8 million.
  • Widen and improve state Route 3 in Belfair area,$4 million.
  • Add noise walls along I-5 near Marvin Road in Lacey, $3.2 million.
  • Finish installing stop-and-go traffic signals on I-5 on-ramps near Joint Base Lewis-McChord, $111,000.

There are now three very different proposals for increasing ferry fares. Senators said their plan assumes approval of a 25-cent surcharge on each ferry fare, but otherwise it wouldn’t increase fares more than the 2.5 percent hike already approved.

The House budget doesn’t include the surcharge but would raise fares 7.5 percent instead of 2.5 percent. Gov. Chris Gregoire‘s proposal would change the increase to 10 percent, while adding a different surcharge that would vary based on fuel prices.