Inslee on SR-167: "Everything Humanly Possible"
The project to complete SR-167 has a friend in Olympia: On Friday the Port of Tacoma’s Complete State Route 167 blog shared a quote from Governor Jay Inslee (via Congressman Denny Heck):
I will do everything humanly possible to get the funding needed to complete SR-167.
Inslee has supported completion of 167 throughout the campaign, and from the sound of this, he’s serious.
The Port and friends are putting a lot of weight behind this effort. The benefit of an improved corridor for transporting goods to and from the Port of Tacoma seems pretty clear.
What about other impacts? Will your life be affected one way or the other if this project goes forward?
Read more about the project previously from Exit133: SR-167 Extension: Wil It Happen?
Filed under: Transportation, Legislation, Elsewhere, Roads
6 comments
D Dan January 17, 2013
Take a picture before the last pieces of Puyallup’s agricultural past are gone. What used to be fields of raspberries are all light industrial now, filled with distribution warehouses and car lots. Between this and the coal trains, any resemblance to the Puyallup I grew up in will soon be erased. I hope that whatever tax revenue, jobs, and kickbacks that will be received by those affiliated with this boondoggle will somehow be worth it….because we’ll never be able to farm on this land again.
T talus January 17, 2013
I’m all for funding the 167 improvements, but the package of improvements really ought to include a modest road diet for River Road and bike trail connecting Puyallup to the Foss via the Puyallup River.
It’s rare that building a new freeway offers an opportunity to improve an urban area’s environment and quality of life, but a smaller, slower River Road and a better connection to the river would provide just that that.
J JJ January 17, 2013
I’ll agree with Dan here.Sad about the gone raspberry fields I have fond memories of those.Now Whatcom County is the largest producer of raspberries now.
Fortunately I grow raspberries originally from those Puyallup fields in the backyard of my home in Tacoma and they are productive for my family and extended family.Perhaps when Mount Rainier erupts it will wipe the blight of development there and the raspberry fields
will come back.
D Dan January 20, 2013
I wouldn’t hope for the mountian to wipe the so called “blight” of hundreds of thousands of peoples homes and doubtless many lives from the valley. Though it is inevitable, I hope I never see it. Anyway, I disagree with the other Dan. This highway is important to trade at the Port as well as travel between Tacoma and Puyallup and the Kent Valley. Agriculture can be protected with development restrictions. The land needs to be protected with Agricultural resource designations and the tranfer, or outright purchase, of development rights. I think it is possible to provide important infrastructure, while protecting productive land from becoming distribution centers and subdivisions. Talus is right on about the road diet on River Road. That would be a great development for the people who live and bike and walk in that area. We need to fight for that in the project scoping phase, if the money becomes available. Just look at the crazy landscaped parks on “lids” over the highway when they build trhough the east side of lake washington, or the wildlife crossings planned for I90 Snoqualmie Pass. That is what pasionate, loud, politically active people and interest groups can get out of WSDOT when they are persistent in their demands.
D Dan (Arete Tacoma) January 20, 2013
Tried to change my name there to avoid confusion. Didn’t work the first time. My bad, other Dan.
T talus January 20, 2013
I agree about the need to leverage permanent ag land and floodplain protection out of this, along with the bike trail and road diet.