Monday marked the beginning of the 2013 state legislative session. As lawmakers convened in Olympia talk focused primarily on the state budget and education. The need for a transportation revenue package, however, was also a topic of conversation amongst policy makers and SR-167 was in the mix.
During the week, stakeholders began to press the case for SR-167. Pierson Clare, president of Brown and Haley, called out the importance of completing the highway in aiding Washington state exports during testimony before the House Technology and Economic Development Committee. "Of the top 350 confectioners in the world I compete with, Brown and Haley is the only one the manufacturers in Washington. So how can you help me? Keep me competitive. Complete SR-167. Connections to the Port of Tacoma is vital."
Eric Johnson, executive director of the Washington Public Ports Association, echoed these sentiments. Testifying before the House Transportation Committee, Johnson argued, "We need a unified freight investment program...One of the consensus points of Governor Gregoire's Connecting Washington task force was the need to focus our limited investment dollars on those projects that generate the most jobs...The big projects needed include SR-167 in Pierce County." Rep. Jake Fey followed up on Johnson's comments: "I took personal note you put SR-167 on the top of the list. Perhaps you could share the importance of this project with other interest groups who still don't get it."
And while testimony like Clare's and Johnson's are important, so too are the little things. At the first meeting of the House Transportation Committee, during the self-introductions, Rep. Hans Zeiger announced he represented the 25th Legislative District, "Home of the right-of-way for SR-167!" Chair Clibborn later noted Zeiger was the only one who actually got around to calling out a priority project. One lobbyist later said that the lawmakers from Pierce County "really have their act together. All I hear is 'SR-167'."
As the News Tribune declared, the "Push to complete SR-167 intensifies."
For SR-167 to be built, however, the Legislature will have to pass a transportation revenue package. As the News Tribune reported, Washington State Senate Majority Leader Rodney Tom said Tuesday he would support an increase in the state's gas tax to fund road projects. On Friday, the News Tribune also wrote about
Also in the media mix this week: the blog Exit 133 had a story about Jay Inslee's support for SR-167, noting that, "The project to complete SR-167 has a friend in Olympia."