Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 5, 2001
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Earthquake drives home need for state transportation improvements

BELLEVUE - Last week's earthquake should drive home the message that Washington will not sustain or grow the economy it has created without significant transportation improvements, Gov. Gary Locke said today.

"The earthquake certainly didn't cause our transportation problems, but it did hold them up to a magnifying glass," Locke told the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Bellevue Association.

Locke said just the cost of repairing earthquake damage to highways, bridges and other elements of the transportation system is almost $100 million. Damage caused to county and city transportation facilities will add much more to that total.

"Be it from an earthquake, an errant barge on Lake Washington or the chronic traffic congestion we face virtually every commute, our saturated transportation system leaves our economy, our jobs and our quality of life quite vulnerable," the governor said.

"Taking action on transportation is about saving our economy … saving our jobs … and if you're stuck in traffic, it's about saving your time and sanity," he added.

Locke outlined his transportation plan for this year's Legislature.

The first part is to make it work better, faster and at lower cost.

Then the state must agree on the investments that best meet its top priority projects that will be completed within six years. Finally the state must figure out how to pay for them.

Improvements to the 405 and 520 highway projects will require a state-federal-regional partnership because the state and federal governments alone don't have the $8 billion necessary for them.

"We must empower regions to partner with the state to complete these kinds of major projects," Locke said.

The governor added he would not let the Legislature leave until it passes a transportation package that serves commuters, businesses and shippers.

Locke also said that tomorrow he would announce several energy projects that would provide some 1,500 megawatts of new electricity. That's enough new power to serve a city larger than Seattle.

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