Today, Governor Christine Gregoire is signing a transportation stimulus package that not only includes no money for Seattle, but features a big, fat handout to suburban highway expansion. The $341 million state stimulus package includes $40 million to expand an exurban stretch of I-405 between NE 195th St. and SR 527 innorth of Bothell by one lane. That lane, which represents more than 10 percent of the state’s total stimulus spending, will be general-purpose, not HOV, and is not a new project, meaning it doesn’t meet the Obama administration’s transportation stimulus criteria. (It also includes no pedestrian, bike, or transit accessibility components, and is an expansion, not a maintenance, project). The expansion was originally supposed to be paid for with state gas-tax revenues—which have decreased, ironically, because people are driving less.

(Thanks to the Transportation Choices Coalition for alerting us to the 405 $$!)

58 replies on “WA State Stimulus Bill: No $ for Seattle, but $40 Million to Widen Suburban Freeway”

  2. God you guys are stupid. you ask “How do we keep electing these officials?” It’s because a lot of Seattleites are hung on voting STRAIGHT Democrat. You REFUSE to do otherwise. Because, oh my gosh, what would your peers think? You have to keep up that fake pretentious overeducated act, don’t you? When will Seattle learn….

    This is almost as funny as a Republicanator (THE GOVERNATOR) being governor of a well-known liberal state. How the hell did that happen?

    Are we all really that stupid?

  3. Please, stop sprawl! I want everyone to be forced to live in close to Seattle and drive up my home’s value!

  4. Hey fucking idiot:

    if you SHARE THE STIMULUS DOLLARS so that SOME OF IT GOES TO URBAN TRANSIT AND SOME TO SUBURBAN HIGHWAYS then no one is forcing anything on anyone.

    But if you DON’T SHARE AND HOG ALL THE MONEY FOR SPRAWL PROJECTS you are the fucking greedy asshole “forcing” your choices on the rest of us.

    no one is saying ALL the dollars should go to seattle butyou guys are saying NONE of them should.

    You fucking idiotic greedy lying asshole.

  6. @54: in case you forgot, you already got an urban transit stimulus bill. In November. Perhaps if so many of you city folks hadn’t pooped all over RTID, the Legislature and we suburbanites (who outnumber you 4:1) would feel more generous.

  7. @47: Emily, you assume that because I dislike bashing on the governor for addressing issues outside of Seattle that I must be a beneficiary of the work she is doing in Bothell. You are wrong. I don’t live in Bothell, and I rarely if ever drive on that stretch of road. I also walk to work everyday and rarely drive at all. Making that choice required me to live in the suburbs despite the fact that I prefer Seattle. Many of my co-workers choose to live in Seattle and commute every day because they value the community there. More power to them. They have that right.

    Even though it has little impact on me because of my personal choices, I realize that efficient transportation is vital for our community. I’d don’t disparage our Governor for doing work that benefits people in her state just because one particular project doesn’t benefit me.

    Grow up Emily. You are a child.

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