Dino Rossi, Candidate for Governor (R-WA) has announced his transportation plan and new transit initiatives. Transportation concerns in Washington state namely; congestion, the future of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, bridge construction, highway updates/expansion, and new road development have all been hot spots over the past few years under Gov. Gregoire’s administration. The current administration has avoided transportation at every turn, pushing the issues to the back burner, bushing state roads onto cities, and attempting to move blame and responsibility elsewhere. This angers many voters. Although some of Rossi’s projects may be somewhat controversial – the fact that he has highlighted them in advance with budgets, planing, and benefits all accounted for will certainly be an advantage for his campaign. His plan calls for $15 billion to be spent on transportation projects; funds through current transportation budgeted funds and the already collected state sales taxes on new and used vehicles – the taxes from those purchases are currently allocated for general funds, he plans calls for their use to be specific to state transportation needs.

Some of the highlights of his plan include:

• Replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a tunnel (the popular option for many Seattlites)
• Building a new Highway 520 floating bridge that can hold eight lanes of traffic
• Widening I-405 from Renton to Bellevue
• Improve U.S. Hwy-2
• Improve state Hwy-9
• Extend and improve state Hwy-167
• Widen Hwy-509 to I-5
• Replace and improve the I-5 Columbia River Bridge
• Construct the North Spokane Freeway
• Build a new highway connecting I-5 to Hwy-7 in Pierce County.
• His plan would replace all state government vehicles with hybrid and plug-in electric cars by 2015
• And, his plan calls for “eliminating the sales tax on the purchase of hybrid, electric and alternative-fuel vehicles for the next 10 years”

Rossi states:

“Our state is experiencing a transportation crisis that is impacting our quality of life and hindering economic growth. My vision for transportation is rooted in freedom and the ability of people to make good choices for themselves.”

Rossi’s plans are big, and will be controversial. However, they are much needed for Washington State. His projects do not discriminate like most have in the past; they cover the whole state, addressing concerns on both sides of the mountains. Truly, Rossi is thinking of the State as a whole – as any Candidate for Governor should.

Check out the:

• Seattle Times Article here.
• Seattle Times list “Rossi’s Key Projects”.
• Dino Rossi for Governor Official Plan – Solutions to Get Washington Moving (pdf)