In the closing days of the legislative session, we unfortunately missed this great story on the completion of State Route 167 featured on KBTC's Northwest Now. The program devotes a full thirty minutes to exploring the status of the project and provides a look at the impact the highway will have on traffic, local business and the regional economy. It will require a bit of a time commitment for viewers (again, it is 30 minutes), but it includes a number of really compelling stories and quotes.

Perhaps most notable is the producer's note on KBTC's website: "Northwest Now always works to present all sides of an issue, but frankly, I was not able to identify any opposition to the idea of completing 167."

Some of the more notable quotes from the story include Tim Tweeten, owner of Fife's famous Poodle Dog restaurant, who said, “This has to be done. They can talk about it, they can kick the can down the road, but someone has to demonstrate leadership and figure out how they are going to pay for it and start work on it.”

Congressman Derek Kilmer echoed that sentiment. "If there is a transportation package that comes out of Olympia, it is my hope and my expectation that 167 be a part of that," he said. "It is absolutely critical to the Port of Tacoma and our region’s economy. It is a project that has been on the drawing board for too long. We need to move it off of the drawing board and actually start turning some dirt."

"It’s completion will really impact the efficiency of the Port of Tacoma," agreed Congressman Dave Reichert. "All of us that travel in the south end know that egress and ingress [into the Port] is just terrible. 167 would help that and take pressure off of I-5 and would improve our movement of cargo to Chicago."

John Parrott, president of Totem Ocean Trailer Express, discussed the financial benefits of completing the highway. "There is the economics of time, the economics of fuel you’re burning while you’re sitting there, which of course adds to the pollution, and then the safety factor—it is much safer to have that road traffic up on an interstate than on city streets," he explained. "That little link [that is unfinished] is one of the most dangerous parts of the highway."

State Rep. Hans Zeiger went on to note that the economic benefits go beyond Pierce County. They are statewide. "It is critical we finish these freight corridors because of of the competitive pressures we face," he said. "This project links our region to the world...As we talk about SR 167, we learn how dependent every part of the state is on this freight corridor. When you talk to people in southeast Washington, in Seattle or central Washington, they all talk about the importance of completing SR 167. It is essentiall for agriculture and for every type of industry in the state."

So, when you have a moment, grab a cup of coffee and check out this really compelling video.