Opinion - northwest_view

POSTED: Thursday, Sep. 03, 2009

State is making progress on transportation issues

The summer vacation season is coming to a close - families across Washington have spent the past few months hitting the road to catch flights at the airport or take road trips closer to home. Before vacation fun could be had, though, the first obstacle was getting through that perennial summer occurrence: construction traffic.

But let me offer this challenge: Instead of allowing those 30 minutes of inconvenience to ruin our trips, let's think about the record $4.74 billion being pumped into Washington's transportation system, bolstering our infrastructure and creating jobs at the time we need them most. Although our state's operating budget has dominated headlines this year, the separate transportation budget is the good news in this otherwise bad-news economy.

As chair of the House Transportation Committee, I'm immensely proud of the plan we developed along with our Senate colleagues to fix stalemated projects, tackle systemic reform, keep people and freight moving, and create much-needed jobs.

How did this happen? The investments made possible by the 2003 "Nickel" and 2005 Transportation Partnership Program revenue packages will hit their peak during the 2009-11 biennium, resulting in a robust $4.4 billion construction plan for more than 400 projects statewide.

Our plan involves historic, decisive actions on a number of major issues.

Agreement has been reached on replacing Seattle's vulnerable Alaskan Way Viaduct with a deep-bored tunnel. In limbo for the better part of this decade, a plan has finally been agreed upon by all levels of government, making way for a new structure that will benefit the entire state, whether you're a local commuter or a farmer in eastern Washington needing access to the port.

We've led the ferry system to calmer waters. Ferries lost a major source of funding in 1999 with the elimination of the motor vehicle excise tax - stop-gap funding patches have filled in ever since. We took a hard look at the system this year and decided to prioritize new boats over terminals, maintain service levels and find efficiencies wherever possible. We now have a balanced budget over the next four years and are continuing to examine ways to keep the progress going.

Another reason for our record investments is our focus on making dollars work most efficiently. Over our 16-year planning horizon, we found $314 million in savings through the continuation of the governor's hiring freeze, closing some licensing offices (since many services can now be completed online), and imposing a five-percent cut of operating expenses across transportation agencies.

While some of those efforts are intangible right now, one undertaking happening right before our eyes is our stimulus plan this summer. Earlier this year the Legislature appropriated $341 million in federal economic recovery funds, facilitating the largest transportation construction season in state history with $4.74 billion in total investment.

The economic recovery dollars are hard at work living up to their purpose. The money will finance 36 projects across the state, and so far 71 percent of the funds have been obligated, courtesy of the speedy work being done at the Washington State Department of Transportation. Several projects are complete or nearly complete, including ones in Long Beach/Ft. Columbia, Omak, Mattawa and Grant County, as well as two ferry projects around Puget Sound.

Moreover, local jurisdictions across Washington received $152 million in federal economic recovery funds directly. Plans call for launching 149 local road projects, and already more than 85 percent of the funds are obligated.

From repaving to installing safety enhancements to preserving our facilities, this money is having a direct, immediate impact on improving our system.

It's putting people to work, too. WSDOT reports that July payroll hours related to these federal funds totaled $5.4 million and resulted in roughly 834 full-time equivalent jobs. The average salary was a good-paying $38 an hour. This is money that's helping keep families and communities afloat during these tough times.

I realize I'm painting a rosy picture with these transportation achievements, but only because it's the truth - for now, at least. Long-term challenges lie ahead; namely, as people drive less and insist on more fuel-efficient vehicles, how do we maintain revenue for a system so reliant on fuel-tax receipts? It's a trend of growing concern, and one the Legislature is working to address right now so that we're prepared for the future.

Another trend is the growth in transit ridership as people look for alternatives to driving a car. Although transit services are funded and managed largely at the local level, the state is helping, too: In the transportation budget, $10.6 million goes to help enable the "R8A" rail project across Lake Washington, and $50 million will go to local governments in the form of mobility grants, including $17 million for rural communities.

These days we've all grown accustomed to the unending stream of bad news about the economy and world events, and it's easy to become discouraged and cynical. That's why I'm calling attention to one subject that Washingtonians can be proud of right now: Our transportation investments are forging ahead with unprecedented size, smart management and in a way that's putting people to work.

Judy Clibborn represents the 41st Legislative District in the Washington State House of Representatives and chairs the House Transportation Committee.