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Renewed Push for Transportation Package

AGC and its partners in the Keep Washington Rolling coalition are implementing a campaign aimed at convincing the Legislature to pass a new transportation package in a special session or as soon as possible during the 2014 session.

Keep Washington Rolling (KWR) is a statewide group that includes businesses labor environmentalists local leaders farmers transit and freight-mobility interests. From improvements to southeastern Washington’s Highway 12 to safety projects in Snohomish County to the Evergreen Point 520 Bridge KWR has been a consistent voice for comprehensive balanced state-transportation spending.

Keep Washington Rolling leaders say they want lawmakers to address:

• Preservation and maintenance problems on major roadways;

• Cuts to county and city transit systems;

• Completion of major projects such as I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass and the Evergreen Point Bridge;

• Safety projects;

• Needs in local communities and local options;

• Chokepoints;

• Projects necessary for the economic health of the state;

• Funding for local road projects;

• Biking and walking infrastructure;

• Storm water investments and environmental mitigation; and

• The importance of ensuring that transportation dollars are efficiently deployed.

Keep Washington Rolling leaders say that momentum for a special legislative session later this year was built during the recently completed 2013 session. While the full Legislature did not pass a comprehensive transportation package the House passed a package.

At its September 9 board meeting AGC trustees voted to endorse this renewed effort to help fix the state’s transportation system. AGC will keep members up-to-date as the campaign unfolds.