The chair of the House Transportation Committee talks about areas for compromise on new construction work, ways to pay for it and (of course) Bertha.
In this online interview, state Rep. Judy Clibborn, D-Mercer Island, chair of the House Transportation Committee, expressed confidence that lawmakers will come up with a transportation package this year.
A few highlights you can hear:
- While the governor is now proposing a carbon pollution charge to fund transportation projects, Clibborn says real sticking point remains the mix of projects. Republicans want more money spent on highways and congestion relief, while Democrats are pushing for more transit, bike and multi-modal projects
- Clibborn says she's confident the Seattle tunnel project will be completed. While the Bertha tunneling problems are "a drag," she insists it's a problem for the contractors, not the Washington State Department of Transportation, to work out.
- Clibborn says the City of Seattle is not justified in its concerns about a supposed lack of transparency on the part of the state about problems with the tunnel project.
Related story: The Senate Transportation Committee chair, Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, outlined his views in a guest opinion article in December: "State can move forward — by looking back."
