Area transportation construction projects stall in tight economy

Major area highway projects that are funded and scheduled for construction:

* Interstate 90 Snoqualmie East project, add lanes and reduce avalanche closures, $545 million for phase 1, some work starts in summer 2009, 9.5-cent gas tax project;

* Valley Mall Boulevard, reduce congestion and improve access, $34 million, construction in 2010, 9.5-cent gas tax project;

* Selah truck route, reduce congestion and improve safety, $8.6 million, construction in 2010, 9.5-cent gas tax project;

* State Route 22 and Interstate 82 near Toppenish, widen lanes and pedestrian improvements, $5 million, construction in 2010, 5-cent gas tax project;

By DAVID LESTER

YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

SELAH -- Satwinder Singh visits this community about once a week to pick up fruit from shippers along Railroad Avenue, east of downtown.

The Sacramento, Calif., long-haul trucker was at Matson Fruit Co. earlier last week for a load of apples.

But to get there, the 41-year-old Singh took First Street. Most days, it's a struggle.

"It's difficult to make the right turn," said Singh, sporting a full, black beard and a traditional turban along with his cell-phone headset. "It's hard because the traffic keeps coming."

Although the area is congested, First Street is a shorter route if he is coming from Yakima and that saves him gas, Singh said.

The city and the state Department of Transportation are working on a solution that will divert truck traffic off one of the busiest streets in the urban area to a new truck route.

The Selah project almost didn't make it this year.

Whipsawed by higher construction costs and declining gasoline tax revenues, some projects the state said it would do with additional gas tax revenues aren't going to happen -- at least not for a while.

While the Selah project avoided a delay this year, thanks, Mayor Bob Jones said, to lobbying by Sen. Curtis King, another area project wasn't so lucky.

An interchange on U.S. Highway 12 at Suntides, northwest of Yakima, which was promised to be completed when the Legislature approved a 5-cent increase in the gas tax in 2003, was quietly dropped in this year's supplemental transportation bill.

The $37 million project was deemed not as high a priority with money tight. It has been kicked to the curb until at least 2024, a delay of more than a decade.

For Selah, the $8.6 million truck route project, anticipated to begin construction as soon as late 2009, is funded by the 9.5-cent gas tax increase voters affirmed in 2005. The tax took effect in increments over four years. It is the second of two hikes.

The first one, the nickel boost, was adopted in 2003. Both were billed as helping the state complete almost 390 road projects.

Under the plan, the new route veers off at East Fifth Street, south of downtown, and will provide quicker access to the warehouses and a direct route to North Wenas Road and Interstate 82.

Delays in the Suntides project and the escalating costs raised concern among local transportation officials.

"Everyone is concerned that important projects to our region are not going to be seen as priorities at the state level," said Page Scott, executive director of the Yakima Valley Conference of Governments. "We have to communicate why these are priorities here and that they aren't easy pickings to make up for lost ground."

Scott's agency performs comprehensive planning and transportation planning for cities in the county.

State Rep. Bruce Chandler, R-Granger, said the process of winning legislative approval for projects has become more politicized as Puget Sound gridlock consumes more of the attention and more of the money.

One of the problems is that the state sold the gasoline tax hikes by listing specific projects that would be done with the money.

Unfortunately, what one Legislature promises doesn't bind future sessions of the Legislature.

"I think we ought to be more straightforward that these are the projects we are going to do and let people know if we aren't real serious about doing them," he said. "We will suffer another blow to our credibility in state government if we don't deliver. People took that as a promise. The list was more a wish list."

Don Whitehouse, regional administrator for the eight-county South Central region, said his region has been able to keep pace with major projects on the list. The nickel-funded State Route 24/Interstate 82 congestion relief project was completed.

Also, a new sidewalk along State Route 823 also is in the books, although at a slightly higher cost.

One other nickel project, a scaled-back safety project on State Route 22 between the Yakima River and McDonald Road near Toppenish, is scheduled to start in 2010.

The road-widening project was reduced because of the excessive cost to replace the river bridge.

Whitehouse said projects have been within or slightly above budget because of a value-engineering process in which consultants look for ways to reduce cost.

The Valley Mall Boulevard project, which features a series of roundabouts, remains within the $34 million budget from the 9.5-cent gas tax and will start in early 2010.

But even with those savings, highway construction costs are spiraling and revenues aren't keeping pace.

According to the DOT quarterly performance report of June 30, hot mix asphalt prices have climbed from $30 a ton in 1999 to more than $60 a ton this year.

The overall construction cost index, which includes asphalt, steel, concrete and fuel rose 21 percent in the first six months of this year. Overall growth in the index from 2002-2007 was 65 percent.

The 56 nickel projects completed through March of this year cost 21 percent more than what was appropriated.

At the same time, gas tax revenues have consistently fallen short of projections.

The nickel tax is $137 million short of the forecast while the 9.5-cent hike is coming in more than 8 percent below the forecast, $370 million short.

King, the Yakima Republican, said he would not be surprised to see a proposal in the coming session to boost the gas tax again to cover the higher costs.

Washington's gas tax is 37.5 cents per gallon. The two gas tax increases account for 14.5 cents; 11 cents goes to cities and counties for local roads; 4 cents pays bond debt; and 8 cents is spent on maintenance and operation, preservation, safety improvements and congestion relief.

The total gasoline tax in Washington -- including the 18.4-cent federal tax -- is 55.9 cents, the seventh highest in the country. The average gasoline tax is 48.4 cents per gallon, according to the American Petroleum Institute.

Still to be addressed is one local priority that isn't even on the state radar screen as yet. The top priority for the local Transaction group, a consortium of business, government, and other community members, wants a westside connector, a beltway that would link Union Gap to West Valley and out to U.S. Highway 12, north of Yakima.

A request for money to study a possible route failed in the Legislature earlier this year.

Yakima businessman Trent Marquis chairman of the group formed to have one voice on transportation needs, said the connector is important with the west side of Yakima rapidly developing.

"The westside connector is in there because of the opportunity for Congdon to develop the Wal-mart and the housing. There is a multitude of things," Marquis said. "The question is how to keep people moving throughout the community in an open fashion."

King, the first-term Republican state Senator representing the 14th District, said he fears there will be more pressure exerted to cut transportation projects in the next session because of the cost and funding issues.

"It has to have an impact on the projects we do. That is part of the reason why when we look at these major projects like the Highway 520 bridge (Evergreen Point Floating Bridge) and remodeling Interstate 5 that people are looking at tolling because the cost is so great," King said. "It is going to be the dilemma we have."

* David Lester can be reached at 577-7674 or dlester@yakimaherald.com.

• Jobs
  www.yakjobs.com
• Homes
  www.yakhomes.com
• 
• 
  
• Autos
  www.yakwheels.com

• All Special Pubs Yakima Magazine Channels YakJobs.com YakWheels.com YakHomes.com Playdate Yakima Bride Yakima Wheels (Print) Home Buyer's Guide Baby Brag Book Graduates 2009 Summer in the Valley Prep Football 2009 Women in Business Holiday Gift Guide
• Advertisement