On the road again

Just like yesterday when the Governor signed a slew of education reform bills at Auburn High School, today’s bill-signing ceremony is on the road. The focus, fittingly, is on transportation, and officials and stakeholders gathered in Bellevue late this morning.

The governor signed the 2010 supplemental transportation budget, bringing the total 2009-11 budget to a record $8.5 billion. The $1 billion rise over last year comes mainly from new federal funds and is expected to generate 3,000 jobs.

“With this $8.5 billion plan, we’re building on the momentum of last year’s budget, which was already a record level of investment,” says Rep. Judy Clibborn, chair of the Transportation Committee. Officials estimate that last year’s construction season was the largest ever, as investments from the 2003 Nickel and 2005 TPA gas-tax packages hit their peak.

Most of this year’s increase comes from $590 million in federal grants to bolster high-speed rail along the I-5 corridor. On top of that, a $30 million grant from the feds will help Seattle’s Mercer Street project, and $35 million will go toward the North Spokane Corridor in Spokane. Both projects were deemed crucial to regional economic competitiveness.

“Today’s package of bills prepares us for the future,” Clibborn says, noting that the SR 520 bridge project continues to advance and that a streamlined tolling process is now in place for use on future projects.

Rep. Deb Eddy, an Eastside legislator who also attended the bill signing, said the 520 funding bill is an especially important success. She was one of the leaders in brokering a compromise to free up the funding for use on related Eastside projects.

“We’ve got construction workers needing jobs and construction jobs ready to go. We’ve got thousands of commuters and businesses who want us to put the studies back on the shelf and get these projects going. Though we still have unresolved issues on the west side of the bridge, it’s critical we move forward on those pieces of the project that are finalized and I’m very happy we came up with a strategy to do just that.”

For a complete rundown of the transportation bills signed today click here (PDF).