'The Highway of Death' and taxes
U.S. Highway 2 between Everett and Stevens Pass is widely regarded as the most dangerous in the state, and yet getting money appropriated for making it safer seems to be an uphill battle. Could that be because local Republican legislators keep voting against highway taxes?
Are partisan politics getting in the way of fixing Washington's "Highway of Death"? Comments made by key Democratic lawmakers suggest the answer might be yes. At issue is U.S. 2 between Everett and Stevens Pass. Since 1999, 47 people have died on that 70-mile stretch of mostly two-lane road.
Last November, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) released a list of 56 recommended projects to improve safety and reduce congestion on Highway 2. Total estimated cost: $1 billion to $2 billion.
But this year the governor and majority Democrats in the Legislature originally pledged just $9 million to get started. That number has now been increased to $14 million. (By way of comparison, the Aurora Bridge in Seattle is slated to get $7.5 million for a suicide prevention fence.) The money would pay for rumble strips and high-visibility striping on a 40-mile section of the highway. The remaining $10 million would be spent on other priority Highway 2 improvements.
The additional $5 million might appease Republicans whose districts include Highway 2. But earlier in the session they were incensed. State Rep. Dan Kristiansen, R-Snohomish, recently said this about the original budget proposal, which included $5 million for a passing lane near the town of Sultan: "Fifty-six projects and what did we get in the budget? We got $5 million to repair an area where there's never been a fatality. That concerns me."
(The Department of Transportation notes that the passing lane is one of the top items on the Highway 2 project list. A spokesperson says the passing lane would relieve frustration from drivers, and that could reduce crashes further down the road.)
Majority Democrats have offered several responses to GOP complaints. Chief among them: The state doesn't have any money for major new transportation projects. And that's basically true.
However, it seems where there's a will there's a way. Last summer, Gov. Chris Gregoire pledged $26.9 million to replace cable-median barriers with concrete barriers along Interstate 5 in the Marysville area. This was in response to high-profile, deadly cross-over accidents there.
Democrats have also suggested on more than one occasion that Highway 2 is a victim of politics. They point out that Republican lawmakers whose districts include the "Highway of Death" voted against the most recent gas-tax increases - increases that funded hundreds of projects statewide.
Here's what the Senate transportation chair told The Seattle Times last September:
"It's really brutal to say, but the people from those districts didn't support anything as far as funding," said Senate Transportation Committee Chairwoman Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island. Consequently, less revenue went to districts with legislators who didn't support the tax measure, she explained. "That certainly is a big reason."
More recently, state Sen. Chris Marr, D-Spokane, vice chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, offered this answer when asked why Highway 2 doesn't get more attention:
I would suggest to those who say today that we're not addressing that as a priority, the lesson I've learned is that be part of a solution process, be part of saying here's what would work for me and I think that message has been delivered to quite a few legislators.
If it's true that Highway 2 and its users are being penalized for votes taken by GOP lawmakers, it's a brutal lesson. As Kristiansen puts it: "We know statistically if we do not deal with this issue this year we're going to probably lose anywhere from eight to 10 people on that corridor."
This year Kristiansen and other Highway 2 lawmakers tried to wrangle more money for safety projects. State Senator Val Stevens, R-Arlington, even attempted to take $13 million from a rail project in Transportation Chair Haugen's district and use it for Highway 2. When that amendment failed, Stevens put out a press release that read: "How the majority party can prioritize a railroad pullout over saving lives on what has been called Washington's most dangerous road is beyond me."
The recent addition of $5 million seems to have calmed Stevens. In a news release, she says: "This money is still not enough to buy the land needed to widen Highway 2, but it's a small start."
Meanwhile, Sen. Haugen, the Senate transportation chair, defends her commitment to Highway 2. In her budget, Haugen orders the Washington State Patrol to redirect six troopers from other areas to patrol the "Highway of Death."
Haugen also points out that there wasn't a comprehensive plan for Highway 2 improvements until last fall, when the WSDOT project report came out. Now she suggests attention is shifting to this long-neglected and deadly road. "We have a plan now, we're beginning to invest in it," says Haugen. But she warns a lot more money will be needed, and where that money comes from is anyone's guess.
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Comments:
Posted Tue, Mar 11, 8:32 a.m. inappropriate
Between the Highway and Wilderness: A small point here, a bit off topic.
The Hwy 2 corridor parallels the Skykomish river, a national wild and scenic river. These laws were inspired by our own William O. Douglas and the scenic and recreational river classifications are supposed to be a commercial friendly protection for these superb wilder (and fun) assets.
I don't know the details, but I believe the Sky was one of the first, if not a specific inspiration for Douglas.
There are two waterfalls on the Sky - Eagle Falls, small and near the road and Sunset much, much bigger and almost totally unknown.
Sunset, just below Mount Index is spectacular - perhaps half a notch below Snoqualmie, but in a more spectacular setting. Access to the area is limited - I believe to keep fishermen away from the falls and fish ladder (I don't know for sure though). Kayakers, but not commercial rafters, were able to use the area as a put-in for years, the best put-in for the best section of river. That though has ended.
Why, why in the world is the spectacular, multi-faceted resource ignored? Build a rest area here for god's sake - with an Espresso Bar and some raft concessions and it would likely pay for itself. A scenic overlook at Eagle wouldn't be a bad idea either.
-Douglas Tooley
Posted Tue, Mar 11, 3:51 p.m. inappropriate
Gas tax questions: The gas tax repeal failed. The state gas tax is approx. 36 cents per gallon. How much annually is raised in the state by the gas tax and how much is spent on Highway 2?? The dem controlled purse strings appear to be withholding critical safety improvement dollars. Could it be that only dems jump off the Aurora Bridge and only Republicans drive the deadly stretches of Highway 2??
Posted Tue, Mar 11, 8:35 p.m. inappropriate
Val Stevens Is What's Wrong with US 2: No one can remember Senator Val Stevens being much intersted at all in Highway 2 until right before this legislative session when the leader of the US 2 Safety Coalition announced he was running against her this year.
That's what all her new posturing on the road is all about.
Throughout the bulk of her latest term, Senator Stevens didn't say a peep about the highway. She's never admitted she know much about the realities of the transportation budget. The record of her news releases seems to indicate she's been far more concerned about the sex lives of other people than the lives lost on US 2, 40% of which have been alcohol related deaths.
The legislature funded six new state Troopers on the highway this year, which may well do more than new pavement to save lives. Just remember, the $2 billion for US 2 is about safety, but it is also all about building a new freeway over Stevens Pass and opening up the whole areas to even more development.
Posted Fri, Mar 14, 8:44 a.m. inappropriate
Hwy 532 improvements: Mary Margaret Haugen
While blowing off any real improvements to Hwy2 because of 'Lack of Money' and blaming 'voting against gas taxes', Haugen managed to get 95 million for improvements to Hwy 532, which just happens to be the final stretch of her commute to her house on Camano Island. Hwy 532 does not suffer from congestion, nor does it suffer from 4.7 traffic fatalities per year. Haugen also got 13 million for a train station in Stanwood, a train station that Amtrak has stated it has no intention of stopping at.
I can tell Haugen where at least 108 million of the dollars needed for Hwy 2 can come from.
As far as the improvements to Hwy2 go, the westbound passing lane is going in a spot where there's simply no westbound congestion, and there haven't been any traffic fatalities.
Posted Fri, Mar 14, 8:49 a.m. inappropriate
'The Highway of Death' and taxes: I grieve for Mr. Jenkins' loss, which was the impetus of his article, but I find his tone so incredibly biased I can hardly read the entire piece. The 'road block' to getting funds to upgrade Hwy 2 has nothing to do with REPUBLICAN partisan politics. This is a matter that falls squarely at the feet of the Democrat-controlled legislature, who instead of focusing the existing monetary resources of the state (takings from the wallets of tax payers) on a lesser number of legitimate projects, wants to spend way more money on a host of social schemes.
It's like dragging fingernails across a chalk board when I see our state legislature constantly proposing new spending bills without regard to current revenue or reserves because, in the words of Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos (D-Seattle), "governments must have unfettered resources" to do the peoples business.
Instead of allocated funds being spent on road and infrastructure improvements, they are being spent by the legislature trying to get us out of cars and into mass transit (just look at the proportion of allocated monies being spent on light rail versus roads).
Mr. Jenkins, did you not notice that that the nickel gas tax the state imposed on motorists in 2003 was supposed to use $30 million to address flooding issues along the Chehalis River. Then we had the flood damage last fall because those improvements were never made!
Then came another, much bigger tax increase a couple years later. And we hear still that there may not be enough money to do all of the road and infrastucture improvements that are necessary. So the state comes to us with its hand out like an undisciplined child, essentially saying, "give me more!"
I praise the few Republicans left in the Legislature, who are standing their ground and essentially saying Enough is enough! We will only fund these improvements to Highway 2 with existing resources, and only if the job is done to completion, without without continually pilfering the pockets of the forgotten men and woman who work hard to pay burdensome taxes.
Posted Sat, Mar 15, 10:17 a.m. inappropriate
RE: 'The Highway of Death' and taxes: Thomas,
Perhaps you should re-read the article. I made it very clear that the "partisan politics" I'm writing about are comments from majority Democrats that suggest they're punishing Republican legislators who represent Highway 2 for their no votes on the gas tax increases. - Austin Jenkins
Posted Sat, Mar 15, 12:37 p.m. inappropriate
RE: Val Stevens Is What's Wrong with US 2: Tarl, that's nonsense. Stevens has been working on U.S. 2 for awhile, including supporting Rep. Kristiansen's study proposal in 2006.
And your complaint is a typical redirection attempt (and therefore a logical fallacy): let's pretend that Stevens never said or did anything about U.S. 2; obviously when she tries, she STILL gets shot down by Haugen, because Haugen would rather have nearly $100 million for her own district for the train station and improvements to SR 532 (which I live right off of).
Haugen said in January that she would not sacrifice safety for congestion relief. She lied.
Posted Sat, Mar 15, 12:43 p.m. inappropriate
RE: Val Stevens Is What's Wrong with US 2: Oh, and he is my question: does Fred Walser support Senator Haugen's and the Democrats' decision to put SR 532 congestion relief and a Stanwood train station ahead of safety improvements on U.S. 2, or does he condemn the actions of the caucus he is attempting to join?
Simple question.
Posted Sun, Mar 16, 9:49 a.m. inappropriate
Timing is Everything: There were next to no projects identified to make US 2 safer when the legislature enacted the last two gas tax increases. Back then, the big thing was the Monroe by-pass, which is mostly about congestion relief.
The gas tax increases were tied to specific projects. On the 9 1/2 cent gas tax increase, voters essentially approved the projects in rejecting an initiative to repeal the tax. US 2 safety projects weren't in the mix then. The list included 532, and it'd be tough to take a project off the list that voters approved. The money from those gas tax increases has already been overspent.
It'd be interesting to take a look at the $2 billion now eye-balled for making US 2 a four lane freeway to Stevens Pass and see how many of those improvements are primarily safety related.
Now you have a bunch of completely partisan GOP activists (and the Senate GOP leadership) targeting Mary Margaret Haugen because they want to beat her this fall. If Haugen gets beat, the next Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee will be from Spokane, not Skagit, Island and Snohomish counties.
Spokane is a long way from being concerned about US 2. It has its own big 2 lane road to fix that runs north/south. Haugen is always targeted, and always squeeks to victory, much to the benefit of the people of the counties she serves because of her leadership position on transportation, and her tenacity in using it to deliver real things.
The contrast between Haugen and Stevens when it comes to getting things done could not be greater. Look at the record. Haugen has been vastly more effective on transportation and made it a top priority. Stevens just started issuing press releases on US 2 this year after she drew an opponent identified with the issue. That's her record.