Governor Gregoire Appoints Mediators for SR 520 Project

For Immediate Release: June 25, 2007

520 bridge must be replaced; mediators will move state closer to goal

OLYMPIA - Governor Chris Gregoire today announced the appointment of Jody Erikson and Michael Hughes of The Keystone Center as mediators for the SR 520 project. The mediation was called for in Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6099, which Governor Gregoire signed into law in May 2007.

�The current 520 bridge poses public safety and mobility issues and it must be replaced. Hiring mediators is another step forward,� said Governor Gregoire. �Jody Erikson and Mike Hughes will bring a fresh perspective to the process and they both have extensive experience conducting mediations on transportation and energy issues. I look forward to their final report, which will bring us yet another stop closer to the building of a new bridge.�

The mediators will build consensus support among SR 520 interested parties and develop an impact plan that addresses the effects of the project on Seattle neighborhoods, parks and schools. They will attend the SR 520 executive committee meeting on June 26 and project open houses in Seattle and Bellevue.

Michael Hughes is the vice president and director of the Center for Science and Public Policy at The Keystone Center, located in Keystone, Colorado. He has 16 years of experience mediating long-standing conflicts over transportation, land use, air quality and health policy. He was the lead mediator for the St. Croix River Crossing in Wisconsin, which involved a dispute over transportation, historic preservation and environmental concerns. The controversy related to a new bridge and road crossing over a federally designated Wild and Scenic River and the future of an existing lift bridge, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Jody Erikson specializes in neutral process design and mediation and facilitation services to resolve highly technical policy issues such as environmental and transportation planning through settlement negotiations, advisory committees, scientific think tanks and collaboratives. She also participated in the mediation of the St. Croix River Crossing in Wisconsin.

By August 1, 2007, the mediators will submit a progress report and by December 2008 they will submit a final project impact plan to Governor Gregoire and the Legislature.

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