OLYMPIA—The new state transportation budget includes $15.6 billion in projects and improvements, including significant investments in I-405 and other regional priorities, said Rep. Davina Duerr (D-Bothell).
“Our state population is growing quickly, and we have to find creative solutions to get people to work, to school, and to the store,” Duerr said. “That means making progress on key chokepoints like 405, and it also means investing in alternatives that take pressure off our highways: trains, buses, biking, and walking.”
Duerr is a professional architect who’s both a member of the House Transportation Committee and chair of the House Local Government Committee. When she was on the Bothell City Council, she was nicknamed 405 Warrior Princess for her fight for funding to improve the corridor, and Duerr says the need is still there.
“I’m particularly happy about the funding for the Woodinville Trestle and money to expand Bus Rapid Transit, including new stations, extended routes, and an additional toll lane that also accommodates those buses. It’s a misconception to frame things as a war between funding highways and funding alternatives. Trains, buses, and paths for bikes or pedestrians are actually the cheapest and most effective way to take cars off the highway and relieve pressure on traffic. They work together in synergy.”
The two-year budget passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. It includes $6.117 million in transportation projects in the 1st District. Those projects are:
- Bothell Canyon Park TDM program, $267,000
- 84th Avenue NE pedestrian and bicycle project, $2.35 million
- 61st Avenue NE sidewalk replacement project, $3.5 million
There’s also $532.9 million in transportation projects shared by the 1st District and nearby areas. Highlights include:
- Sound Transit Bus Rapid Transit, $5.362 million
- Sound Transit electric bus and charging infrastructure, $6.75 million
- Community Transit charging infrastructure at Hardeson Campus, $8 million
- Woodinville SR 202 and trestle widening, $5 million
- Swift Bus Rapid Transit Green Line extension, $1 million
- SR 9 / 176th Street SE to SR 96 widening, $6.866 million
- I-405 / SR 167 ETL corridor R & R preservation, $9.648 million
- I-405 / SR 522 to I-5 capacity improvements, $464.5 million
- SR 522 / Paradise Lake Road interchange and widening, $17.193 million
For more information about the transportation budget, operating budget, or capital budget, visit https://fiscal.wa.gov/