The leaders of three of the state’s top business groups have a good op-ed in today’s Puget Sound Business Journal.
This week’s signing by Gov. Jay Inslee of the state’s first comprehensive transportation investment and reform package in a decade is a win for all of us.
…This package includes more than $1.3 billion for preservation and maintenance, which will enable the state to take better care of its roads and bridges. It provides $8.8 billion for construction, making key investments and finishing projects in important economic corridors such as SR 520, the Puget Sound Gateway (State Routes 167 and 509), and the I-90 expansion over Snoqualmie Pass. It also provides $445 million in direct distributions to cities and counties for local projects.
This package delivers on the promise of a more integrated system. It provides $1 billion for the multimodal fund. Add to that, commuters and visitors will benefit from a $602 million investment in the state ferry system. Voters in the Puget Sound region also will have an opportunity to consider a major expansion of high-capacity transit.
The more people learn about the package, the more they will like it. The culmination of years of work, compromise and negotiation, the legislation is, as the business leaders say, “a win for all of us.”
More on the endgame discussions in the Spokesman-Review.
