Columbia River Crossing would receive 450 million [dollars] in Washington state funding in proposed transportation package

Washington state House Democrats today released a $9.8 billion transportation package, with $450 million allocated to the $3.5-billion Columbia River Crossing project.

The proposed project would replace the I-5 bridge, improve interchanges, extend light rail into Vancouver and enhance pedestrian and bicycle paths.

The allocation proposed by the House Democrats would account for Washington?s portion of the project funding. Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber has included Oregon?s $450 million contribution in his budget proposal, but former Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire did not include it in her budget plan.

The rest of the project funding would come from toll revenue bonds ($1.3 billion) and federal funds contingent on the inclusion of high capacity mass transit ($850 million). $400 million would also come from Federal Highway Funds, according the Columbia River Crossing plan.

The revenue for the transportation package will come from a 2-cent per-year increase in the gas tax for the next five years, a new car tab fee and $3 billion in bonds, among other sources.

In addition to the Columbia River Crossing, the proposed transportation package would fund several big projects around the state, including connecting SR 167 and SR 509 to I-5, widening I-405 between Renton and Bellevue and widening I-90 at Snoqualmie Pass.

Rep. Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver, said the inclusion of the Columbia River Crossing in the package is critical for Southwest Washington. Moeller, who sits on the House Transportation Committee, said he knows of Democrats and Republicans who support the package.

?I?m confident we can get to an agreement,? he said. ?We simply have to.?

Moeller said he understands no one likes taxes, but people understand that gas taxes and other vehicle fees are necessary to build and maintain roads and bridges.

But Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, the ranking Republican member of the House Transportation Committee, doesn?t think the taxes will be well-received.

By its fifth year, the added gas tax would increase the state portion of the tax to 47.5 cents per gallon, he said. In 2003, the state levied about half that amount ? 23 cents ? on every gallon of gas, he said.

Currently, Washington ranks ninth in the nation for state gas tax rates at 37.5 cents per gallon, according to the Tax Foundation. Oregon comes in 17th with 31 cents per gallon.

If Orcutt had his way, there would be no transportation package this year, though it?s been eight years since the last package was passed.

?I propose we dig down into what?s driving up the cost of transportation,? he said.

Orcutt said transportation projects cost more in Washington than they do in other states due to higher cost of compliance with environmental regulations. What the state really needs is reforms, he said.

?I believe that if we implement real reforms, we can make what we have last longer,? he said. ?We need to make our current tax dollars go further before we go further into the taxpayer?s pocket.?

Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/clark-county/index.ssf/2013/02/columbia_river_crossing_would.html

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