Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - February 7, 2002
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Locke promotes HOV lane expansion, highway interchange improvements in Tacoma

TACOMA – Emphasizing the need to improve safety and cut traffic congestion, Gov. Gary Locke today urged support in Tacoma for his statewide transportation plan.

Washington State Department of Transportation officials briefed the governor at a construction site on Pacific Avenue. The location provided a sweeping view of Interstate 5 near the downtown area where proposed high occupancy vehicle lanes would be added and the State Route 16 / I-5 interchange would be realigned.

Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg, Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma and Tacoma City Councilman Rick Talbert joined the governor at the briefing.

Locke said a number of transportation projects in Tacoma must be started immediately, including work on interchanges and HOV lanes on I-5 and SR 16.

“We have an obligation to ensure that we meet both of these goals because the safety of our families is so critical and traffic congestion is a nightmare for business and commuters,” the governor said. “These improvements also will continue the economic resurgence of downtown Tacoma.”

Locke noted that more than 600 accidents had resulted in more than 440 injuries on the I-5 corridor between 38th Street and I-705 in 2000.

“This corridor has one of the highest accident rates in our entire state,” the governor said. “And the volume of vehicles is only going to skyrocket in the future. Along this corridor traffic will jump from 170,000 vehicles today to over 210,000 in less than a decade.”

The Pierce County portion of Locke’s 10-year transportation plan includes:

• $519.7 million to extend HOV lanes on I-5 from their terminus in Federal Way to the Port of Tacoma Road and to complete the design, right of way and construction to continue HOV lanes south to South 48th Street
  
  
• $94.7 million to complete HOV lanes on SR 16 from I-5 to Olympic Drive in Gig Harbor
  
  
• $257 million to overhaul the SR 16/I-5 interchange, a major traffic chokepoint

“We have a lot to do to rebuild our economy, and that means building a transportation system now that will get people, goods, and services to where they need to go safely and efficiently in the future,” Locke concluded.

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Related Links:
- Washington State Department of Transportation

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