The News Tribune's headline says it all: traffic for South Sound residents is getting worse and worse.

"This region's highways are again stressed far past their capacity, underscoring the need for new investments in aging infrastructure," they editorialized.

More importantly, the cost of inaction is growing.

"This state – or at least its Legislature – tends to suffer sticker shock in the face of multi-billion-dollar transportation investment bills ... Yet the status quo ought to produce at least as much sticker shock," the News Tribune explained.

"The Corridor Capacity Report estimated the statewide cost of traffic delays at $858 million last year alone ... With highways, it’s not pay now or pay later. It’s pay now, one way or the other, and pay more later if we do nothing."