Gov. Christine Gregoire signs contract for Kirkland Nickel Improvement Project

For Immediate Release: October 19, 2005

KIRKLAND - Oct. 19, 2005 - Gov. Christine Gregoire today signed a contract with Washington State Department of Transportation and Kiewit Construction to increase capacity, relieve congestion and improve safety on a I-405 project funded by the 2003 Nickel Gas Tax Package to begin construction. The governor appeared with local and state officials, as well as Kiewit officials, during a press conference at Spinney Homestead Park.

�Anybody who has experienced the Kirkland Crawl knows that this project will be crucial for commuters and businesses, both here in Kirkland and throughout the state,� the governor said.

The project is part of the 2002 WSDOT Master Plan and supports local, regional and statewide economies while reducing congestion time for commuters and freight carriers. In 1999, WSDOT gathered cities, counties, federal agencies, transit agencies and community groups to develop consensus for a long-term vision for the multi-modal redevelopment of I-405. This effort culminated in a three-year environmental impact statement development process completed in 2002. The I-405 Master Plan outlines transit, roadway, and environmental investments including more than 300 improvements.

�Crucial to the master plan, this is the first of three projects of the Nickel Gas Transportation Funding Package of 2003, which provides $485 million to address the biggest I-405 choke points in Renton, Bellevue and Kirkland,� the governor said. �These projects couldn�t come at a more critical time. Some 800,000 trips are made on I-405 everyday, and I-405 carries twice the amount of freight shipped each year through the Port of Seattle.�

I-405 commuters face some of the worst traffic congestion in the state with up to 10 hours per day in some locations. The second most traveled corridor in Washington State, I-405 is the only high capacity north-south route on the Eastside.

# # #