- Interstate 5/Mill Plain & Fourth Plain Interchange improvements
- Widening of SR-14 from I-205 to 164th Avenue
- SR-502/SR-503 right turn lane improvements in Battle Ground
- Continuation of Ridgefield Pioneer Street Rail Overpass project
Earlier this week, Washington Governor Jay Inslee called for a special legislative session to address a transportation revenue package. Montague said that it’s critical that Southwest Washington isn’t left out of it.
Kelly Parker, CEO of the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, echoed Montague’s statement.
“The concern that we have in going up to Olympia this year is that they’re still talking about a statewide transportation package for which they will raise our gas tax. And as a region, we currently have nothing in that proposed package. Yet if approved, we’ll be paying the gas tax,” said Parker. “The greatest thrust I see from our region is amplifying the message that there are vitally important transportation projects throughout the county that must be included in any statewide [transportation] package.”
According to Montague, over the next ten years Southwest Washington has a $2 billion transportation funding need – an estimated $1.25 billion for infrastructure projects and another $700 million for repair and maintenance.
“We are at the point, especially when it comes to repair and maintenance, that if these issues aren’t addressed, our infrastructure costs are going to dramatically escalate,” he said.
When asked whether the fight over CRC funding might cause legislators who were against the project to give the region the cold shoulder when it comes to funding other transportation projects, Parker said “hopefully not.”
“To any legislator whom we may have disagreed with last year about the funding of the CRC, there must be a concerted, unified effort to do the best for the region in inserting projects that provide investment,” Parker said.
“I’m optimistic that our community and our elected officials are mature enough to set aside hard feelings and to do our jobs to provide good investment in the region,” she added. “There is no excuse for anything but.”
Another agenda item that will receive a push from local business organizations involves restoring the state’s Public Works Trust Fund – an account created in the mid-1990s that provides low-interest loans and technical assistance to local governments for public works projects and infrastructure needs. Funds from that account were redirected by legislators last session to address the budget shortfall in education.
“This one issue cuts across municipality, transportation, education – anybody that needs to bond to do projects,” said Montague. “Restoring that fund will reduce significantly the costs of construction of school projects, roads, infrastructure, utilities and the like. Pulling that for a relatively short-term fix to try and address education issues instead of really looking at the underlying fundamentals regarding state revenue was shortsighted.”
Other initiatives on the ICC/GVCC/CREDC 2014 legislative agenda are the promotion of accelerated project permitting and regulatory streamlining, and the support of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and career technical programs in education.
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