It’s nothing personal, but deep down we hope that Pete Buttigieg attempts to drive across the Interstate 5 Bridge today during rush hour.
Buttigieg, the U.S. Transportation Secretary, is visiting the Northwest this week, taking a close look at projects and issues in this part of the country. His itinerary called for visits to Mukilteo and Port Orchard to see Washington’s ferry system, and today he is scheduled to visit Washougal and Portland’s east side.
The arrival of any Cabinet member is notable; visits from officials help personalize the federal government. (And it carries a bit of trivia: The transportation secretary is 14th in the line of succession for the presidency, after the secretary of housing and urban development, and before the secretary of energy.)
Of course, the purpose of the visit is not solely to make people in this corner of the country feel they are being heard in Washington, D.C. Buttigieg is promoting the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that was signed by President Joe Biden in November 2021.
The $4.4 billion legislation invests in roads, bridges, ports and airports, bolstering long-neglected aspects of American infrastructure. The Biden administration typically refers to the law as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, although only eight Republicans in the House voted in favor. In today’s polarized environment, apparently, the standards for “bipartisan” are relatively low.
Buttigieg is scheduled to be in Washougal to tout a 32nd Street Underpass Project, which will eliminate an intersection with a BNSF Railway line. The intersection reportedly has an average of 45 railway crossings a day, backing up vehicle traffic and often halting emergency vehicles.
“This is about fixing a problem that really cut off a region from itself with the level of increase in (train) volume,” U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell said. “How would you increase economic development and activity if people said, ‘Oh, I don’t want to deal with the train, blocking access all the time?’ ”
Transportation spending should, indeed, be viewed as an investment. Wise spending can create jobs during construction and generate economic activity for years to come.
More than 350 projects in Washington have been identified for funding under the infrastructure law, and the federal government is investing $40 million in the Washougal project. The state is contributing approximately $7 million, and local governments are adding $4.82 million.
Similar projects are underway or under consideration throughout the country, although experts say inflation and a tight labor market will complicate efforts to start construction.
Which brings us to the construction priority for the metro area — a replacement Interstate 5 Bridge. In addition to making local residents feel like they are being heard in Washington, D.C., a visit by a Cabinet member gives local officials a chance to point out projects of regional importance.
Legislatures in Washington and Oregon each have committed $1 billion toward a new bridge, but federal funding also will be necessary. When the Interstate 205 Bridge was constructed in the late 1970s and early 1980s, 92 percent of funding was provided by the federal government, but the formula for major infrastructure projects has been greatly altered over the past four decades.
We are guessing that Buttigieg is familiar with the importance of the I-5 Bridge and with efforts to replace it. But we kind of hope that he gets a long, slow, congested look at the issues during his visit to the region.
