Moeller, Jacks hail potential for job-building, economic development
OLYMPIA – The Port of Vancouver’s West Vancouver Freight Access project (WVFA) stands to get a big and much-needed shot in the arm, thanks to specific provisions outlined in the recently proposed House and Senate Democratic transportation-budget plans.
State Reps. Jim Moeller and Jim Jacks said the budget proposals also include $133.7 million in continuing road-interchange projects for Vancouver-area highways identified in the five-cent gas-tax package and the 9.5-cent Transportation Project Account.
Moeller and Jacks agreed that the House and Senate Democratic transportation-budget plans will generate family-wage jobs, encourage lasting economic development, and keep communities connected through a strengthened infrastructure.
“This $137 million Port of Vancouver project will mean upward of 2,000 new, permanent jobs when it’s done in 2017 and 4,000 construction projects while its underway in the next several years,” said Moeller, who is a member of the House Transportation Committee that is mulling over the House Democratic budget proposal this week.
“Ours is the third-largest port in Washington, and the WVFA project answers the demand of an economy that is growing ever more dependent on trade with our Pacific Rim and other world partners.”
Jacks said the proposed budget “puts the transportation accent right where it needs to be – targeted investments to improve our infrastructure and squeeze the most out of our shrinking financial resources.
“Southwestern Washington is battling unrelenting unemployment in this Great Recession,” Jacks said, noting that Clark County’s jobless rate persists at 13 percent. “Anything we can do to bolster investments in our workforce is money extremely well-spent.”
Moeller and Jacks also agreed that the Democratic transportation budgets reflect a signature “Working for One Washington” emphasis.
“We need to strengthen Washington’s foundation, refortify our state as a place where everyone has a fair opportunity – the same rational, reasonable prospects to earn their own success,” Moeller said.
Jacks added that “I’m doing everything I can to help our towns and our neighborhoods earn and write their own success stories.”
Moeller, Jacks and other legislators face the substantial mission to write a new state operating budget, in addition to the transportation budget, in the next several weeks before their late-April deadline for finishing this year’s session business.
For detailed lists, including a county-by-county list, of transportation projects that would be funded in the 2011-2013 transportation budget proposed by the House Democratic Caucus, please go to this Washington State Department of Transportation projects website.