Budget plan has funding for parkway

JOHN DODGE, THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published Saturday, March 9, 2002

OLYMPIA -- State funding needed to rebuild Deschutes Parkway this spring is in the House supplemental capital budget unveiled Friday.

The House Capital Budget Committee is expected to vote on the measure Monday.

"We do have the $850,000," confirmed Rep. Sam Hunt, D-Olympia. "I don't expect there to be any conflicts."

House support for the $850,000 would be another step toward possibly reopening the earthquake-damaged road by December 2002 -- a year sooner than originally scheduled.

The money is already included in the Senate budget.

A critical link

The House action is clearly a step in the right direction, Olympia Mayor Stan Biles said.

"We're making fantastic progress," Biles said. "But that doesn't ensure final legislative approval."

The 1.6-mile-long parkway along the western shore of Capitol Lake links Tumwater, downtown Olympia, the west side of Olympia and Interstate 5.

Much of the road was knocked out of commission by the Feb. 28, 2001, Nisqually Earthquake, much to the chagrin of downtown businesses, emergency aid crews and the some 7,000 commuters who used the road daily.

"We need that road really bad," said Kevin Stormans, co-owner of Bayview Thriftway near the parkway's north end. "It turns out that the loss of the Deschutes Parkway is a bigger deal to us than the loss of the Fourth Avenue bridge."

The road closure disrupted two Intercity Transit bus routes, adding $200,000 to the cost last year of serving Olympia's west side, Intercity Transit spokeswoman Meg Kester said.

Permits needed

The state Department of General Administration must secure about a dozen federal, state and local permits before construction can begin, said Grant Fredricks, the state agency's deputy director.

"The permit application process is moving forward," he said. "We hope everything will converge in the next 60 days."

The old timetable for the $7.1 million project called for construction to start in the spring of 2003 with completion in late 2003.

The Legislature and Gov. Gary Locke must approve the funding for the state to remain eligible for matching funds from the Federal Highway Administration.

The federal project share is $6 million, and the state share is $1.1 million, $250,000 of which was already secured.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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