Fife Mayor Tim Curtis this morning reminded us of our region's world class status in a News Tribune opinion piece. Unfortunately, that world class status comes in the form of traffic congestion.

"This should serve as a wake-up call for action," Mayor Curtis wrote.

"It is time for all of us to rise up and say, 'Enough!' While we can’t wave a magic wand and make traffic go away, we can and must invest in transportation infrastructure that enhances mobility and safety, protects our economy and job base, and protects a quality of life we cherish."

Mayor Curtis cited SR 167 as being critical for the state, the Port of Tacoma and his own community: "This project has been on the books for decades, and the lack of a completed SR 167 corridor puts added congestion and quality-of-life burdens on our local roads in Fife."

Urgency is needed.

"We are truly at a crossroads with a transportation system that is our lifeblood. Our choice is to allow it to get worse, or take action and improve transportation networks for the good of our manufacturers, our industrial clusters, our ports and our people," he wrote.