Gov. Jay Inslee’s proposed transportation budget doesn’t fund any Southwest Washington projects, but on Friday the governor said he hasn’t forgotten the region.
“We do have significant improvements that are needed in Southwest Washington,” Inslee said during an interview at The Columbian.
The governor’s proposed budget reserves $650 million of unallocated money to fund a host of projects “of local concern” statewide, he said.
“We had a choice when we rolled out this budget to either designate those projects, which might have been politically easier, frankly, but we wanted the local communities to help decide what the highest priority to them is,” he said, adding the money would not be reserved for “mega projects.”
Local projects Inslee mentioned included widening of Interstate 205 in Vancouver, the widening of state Highway 502/Main Street in Battle Ground, and a rail overpass in Ridgefield.
Mark Brown, a lobbyist who represents Southwest Washington in Olympia, blasted the governor’s transportation plan earlier in the week for ignoring the region. On Friday, he said it’s welcome news the governor is aware of the region’s priority projects.
“Now we just have to find a pathway forward to get funded,” Brown said.
Last legislative session, an unsuccessful transportation revenue package included only $46 million for projects in Clark County.
Some officials blamed it on the Columbia River Crossing vacuum, noting that after the Interstate 5 Bridge replacement project’s demise, there was a $450 million hole that had been reserved for Clark County but was quickly designated elsewhere.
“Look, I’m the guy who tried to get a billion dollars for a transportation project for Southwest Washington,” Inslee said, noting the cost of the CRC with both Oregon and Washington state and federal funds combined.
While speaking about the project, Inslee observed that “a little frustration has creeped” into his tone.
“Your legislators killed it. The people you sent to Olympia killed a billion-dollar investment in your community,” Inslee said, calling it “regretful.”
“But I want to assure you, that doesn’t diminish my commitment to try and do what we can for the transportation projects in Southwest Washington,” he said.
Brown, the lobbyist, said it’s now up to the Southwest Washington delegation to present a unified voice in Olympia to ensure the region is included in a final package.
“It’s true the governor supported Washington state’s share of the CRC, but now that project is no longer viable in the short term and we just want to make sure whatever the final project list is agreed upon it has some measure of fair-share distribution to Clark County,” Brown said.
