Curtis King, Republican co-chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, today unveiled proposal for a transportation revenue package. The proposal is not yet committed to bill form, but it does outline the senator's vision of what transportation package should look like.

King did note three important caveats about the package. First, he is not speaking for the caucus, only himself. Second, he continues to believe that it is too early for the Legislature to act, preferring to wait yet another year or two before taking up the issue. He describes himself as a "no" vote-- even on his package-- but would like to use it as a mechanism to be a part of the deliberative process. Finally, he believes that whatever package is adopted, it must include a number of policy reforms, which he included in his proposal.

State Route 167 completion remains an important element in King's package. Specifically, he proposes $1 billion for SR-167-- enough to provide for full-build of the highway west of Interstate 5 and one lane both directions east of I-5.

Trying to compare King's proposal with House Transportation Chair Judy Clibborn's is a bit like compare apples and oranges. Clibborn combines SR-167 with SR-509 in King County in her proposal as part of the Puget Sound Gateway proposal. Both King and Clibborn propose four lanes west of I-5 and two lanes between I-5 and Valley Avenue. Clibborn, however, proposes four lanes between Valley Avenue and Puyallup. In contrast, King only offers two lanes on this stretch , but compensates by additional ramps connecting SR-167 to I-5.

In the coming days we'll provide a more detailed side-by-side of the two proposals. In the meantime, a copy of King's proposal can be found here: Senator King Proposal June 10 2013.

You can also find news coverage of King's proposal: http://blog.thenewstribune.com/politics/2013/06/11/republican-version-of-transportation-tax-package-has-more-for-maintenance-less-for-transit/.