Gov. Gregoire celebrates the opening of SR 202, doubling traffic capacity

September 18, 2008

AS WRITTEN

Good morning, and thank you for the kind introduction.

We�re here this morning to celebrate yet one more big transportation improvement brought to us by Washington voters with the foresight to give us the resources we needed to do the job.

This morning we celebrate the fact that more than 25,000 vehicles carrying workers from the Sammamish Plateau to Microsoft and other Washington companies no longer suffer stop-and-go traffic on State Route 2.

This is a huge improvement, not only in terms of congestion, but in terms of safety.

The now completed State Route 202 widening project�

�Reduced the morning commute to a free flowing 10 to 15 minutes � and that�s with a total of 45,000 vehicles on this stretch by the time it reaches the west end of the road.

�We doubled the highway�s capacity�

�We fixed multiple intersections�

�We finished a year ahead of schedule�

�And solved a big environmental challenge by creating one of the largest wetlands for salmon and other wildlife in state history�

(Four years ago, this area to my right was filled with rusting vehicles, old couches and assorted trash. And now it�s a lush, vibrant, 13-acre paradise for fish and wildlife.)

My congratulations to Secretary Hammond, the DOT, our legislative partners, and our local government partners including the City of Redmond.

The fact is, we are making real progress to improve safety and get people to work and home faster.

When I took office in �05, DOT had completed only 12 transportation projects in all of 2004. Since the Legislature chose to put DOT under my control in July of �05, DOT has completed 162 projects!

Right now, DOT is working on 66 more, and will start another 43 in the next six months!

These are not stop signs we�re putting in. We�re about real solutions!

We�re about moving forward on 520. We�re about moving forward on the Alaskan Way Viaduct. And we�re about doing it in a fiscally responsible way � especially now.

You may have heard a few weeks ago that the Bush Administration informed us that the federal Highway Trust Fund is essentially broke.

I�ve had to make tough choices, and this sad announcement may mean I�ll have to make even more of them.

But we�re getting there, and we�re getting there based on fiscal reality!

We did it with SR 202 and we did it with the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge � which has greatly improved the lives of commuters on the Kitsap Peninsula, and made them safer too.

Thanks to the people of Washington, we�re making real progress and this improvement on 202 is the latest shining example.

Thank You