The Joint Transportation Committee met Wednesday at Sound Transit’s Union Station to hear testimony on the status of Washington’s ports and transportation systems, as well as the challenges and opportunities facing both entities.

“We heard today from industry leaders of all stripes about the importance of being able to move their goods quickly and efficiently, both across the state and to markets overseas,” said House Transportation Chair Judy Clibborn (D-Mercer Island). “Washington’s short- and long-term economic competitiveness rests on our commitment to modernizing our transportation and port infrastructure.”

The hearing focused in particular on Washington’s deep water ports and their contributions to the statewide economy. Business, industry and port leadership detailed their current work and the hurdles they face moving forward. Of note was the need for transportation improvements.

"BMW cited their new carbon fiber facility in Moses Lake because of access to deep water ports," said Port of Seattle Commissioner Bill Bryant. "But that only works if your trucks can get in and our ports and increasingly we are finding that more and more difficult. This is why we need to complete projects like SR-167 and SR-509."

John Devaney of the Yakima Valley Growers and Shippers talked about the importance of port access projects to his industry. "We've seen that despite a decrease in acreage, apple productivity is up 55%," he said. "Because Americans aren't eating more fresh fruits, those are exported through our ports. We need transportation improvements to handle our export growth. Without those, we will have to use other ports which will cost more, resulting in less exports and fewer jobs."