All infrastructure investments have externalities. Some are negative but some are positive, too. If built right, even a highway project could be considered good for the environment.

Take for example the completion of State Route 167. Today, trucks travelling between the Puyallup Valley and the Port of Tacoma, for example, must either fight their way through congested surface streets or follow out-of-the-way freeway routes (like SR-512 through south Pierce County). According to the project's Environmental Impact Statement, completion of the highway is anticipated to improve air quality by reducing congestion, improve truck mobility, and smooth traffic flow levels. CO emissions, for example, are projected to be reduced by an estimated 26% under the build alternative compared to the no-build alternative.

The project is also anticipated to have a beneficial impact on habitat sites. The proposed project mitigation links multiple fragmented habitats together, providing over 1,000 acres of contiguous habitat along Hylebos Creek and resulting in a cumulative 70 percent increase in ecological services in the area. This is good not only for the environment, but also for all of us as the new wetlands would serve as retention areas for flood waters. The project’s proposed mitigation enhancements will reduce predicted flooding along Hylebos Creek from 246 acres to 187 acres.

Environmental groups recognize the importance of these habitat improvements. This is why Citizens for a Healthy Bay have stepped forward as a project supporter, joining local governments, labor, growers and businesses in advocating for this project of statewide significance.