WA Dems: Rossi's Transportation Fantasy Stiffs Eastern WA

Press Release

WA Dems: Rossi's Transportation Fantasy Stiffs Eastern WA

By Bryan Bissell - May 7, 2008 - 4:16pm

Release Date: May 7 2008

Rossi's Transportation Fantasy Stiffs Eastern WA

Rossi's "plan" does nearly nothing east of the Cascades, while taxpayers foot the bill for the rest of the state

SEATTLE - Republican Dino Rossi's road fantasy is a bad nightmare for eastern Washington residents. Rossi's much criticized proposal includes just eight projects for eastern Washington counties and spends just 15 percent of the total $15.5 billion (in 2007 dollars) proposed under Rossi's fantasy plan east of the Cascades. Rossi's proposal has already been labeled as "complete silliness" by independent transportation experts and roundly criticized by newspapers across the state.

Richland's Jim McCabe described the situation in a column in today's Tri-City Herald:

"It doesn't take an east-sider long to figure out Rossi is trying to woo votes from the weary Puget Sound commuter at the expense of the weary Eastern Washington wallet. ... while there is no doubt that troubling transportation issues plague the Puget Sound area, Rossi's plan disproportionately shifts those costs to Eastern Washington for political expediency. Our kids and grandkids deserve better, and Eastern Washington's economy deserves better."

"Rossi's transportation fantasy is actually a bad nightmare for folks living in eastern Washington, stealing billions of taxpayer dollars while proposing just eight transportation projects east of the Cascades," said Kelly Steele, spokesman for the Washington State Democratic Party. "Gov. Gregoire has made historic progress in delivering safety and congestion improvements to eastern Washington, which Rossi would halt by diverting tax dollars as part of his made-up transportation fantasy - further evidence that Washingtonians simply can't trust Rossi with our future."

In 2005, Governor Gregoire led the effort to gain bi-partisan support for a historic transportation improvement plan (Transportation Partnership Act) that included critical investments in eastern Washington roadways. That same year, an initiative (I-912) was filed to cancel the 274 projects and the construction funding. While Governor Gregoire showed leadership and condemned the misguided initiative, true to form, Dino Rossi refused to take a position. I-912 was soundly rejected by voters statewide. Not only did Rossi fail to take a position on the initiative, he continues to criticize the Transportation Partnership Act in his 2008 campaign.

Since taking office in 2005, Governor Gregoire has completed over 30 highway projects in eastern Washington and approximately 60 additional projects are planned, funded or currently under construction.

Examples of Gregoire's eastern Washington transportation accomplishments include:

COMPLETE: SR 270 Widening - Pullman to Moscow

The Department improved capacity and safety by widening SR 270 from a two-lane roadway to a four-lane road. SR 270 is an important commute route between two university communities, Pullman (Washington State University), and Moscow (University of Idaho). Along with passenger vehicles, this route also carries a large number of heavy trucks.

UNDERWAY: SR 28 Rock Slide Protection - Douglas County

The rock slope nettings will provide redirection and containment of rocks that fall from the slope onto SR 28 below Rock Island Dam in southern Douglas County. Stage three of the project commenced on March 28th of this year. Aside from the benefits of reducing the driving hazard presented by falling rocks on the highway and the accommodations for future expansion of SR 28, drainage and sight-distance are also improved. This further improves safety and reduces maintenance expenses.

For a complete list of Gregoire's eastern Washington transportation accomplishments and planned projects click here: WSDOT Project Map

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Rossi's Eastern WA Road Nightmare

Funded Projects in Eastern Washington Counties in Dino Rossi's Transportation "Plan"

County

Projects

County

Projects

Pend Oreille County

Total Eastern Washington Projects = 8

Summary of Rossi's Stiffing of Eastern WA Roads

Total Eastern WA Expenditures with North/South Freeway project in Spokane = $2.329 Billion

Rest of state = $12.271 Billion

Without North/South Freeway project = $129 million

Rest of state = $15.371 Billion

Percentage of tax dollars spent in eastern WA with North/South Freeway project included = 15%

Percentage of tax dollars spent in eastern WA without North/South Freeway project included = less than 1%

Notes on total eastern Washington expenditure: Assumes Rossi's proposed $500 million in funding toward the 27 projects listed on page 15 is divided equally among all projects. ($500 million divided by 27 = 18.5 million). Of the 27 projects Rossi proposes on page 15, just 7 are located in eastern Washington (7 x $18.5 million = $129 million). This figure is then added to the total Rossi proposes to spend on the North/South Freeway in Spokane ($2.2 billion).