U.S. Transportation Secretary Mineta Announces $18.4 Million for Washington Highway, Bridge Projects

Topics:  Norman Mineta

Federal Highway Administration
4 May 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 4, 2004
Contact: Lori Irving, Telephone: (202) 366-0660
FHWA 5-04m

U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta today announced that newly released funds from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will help reduce congestion, enhance safety and improve traffic flow at key transportation projects around the state. The Bush administration is providing more than $18.4 million for construction of additional lanes on Interstate 90, for reconstruction of the interchange at Interstates 405 and 5 in the Seattle area and for 22 other Washington transportation projects.

"Investing in Washington's highways is the best way to get people to their jobs, families to their homes and goods to market," Secretary Mineta said.

Several of the projects will ease congestion on some of the state's most heavily traveled roads. The Bush administration has slated $1.1 million for the additional I-90 lanes from Spokane to the Idaho state line and $1.1 million for the new I-405/I-5 interchange in the Seattle area.

Other projects include more than $735,000 to improve roads on the Skokomish Indian Reservation in Mason County and $1.1 million for auxiliary lanes for Interstate 182 near Richland in Southeast Washington.

"The funding we're announcing today is an investment in the transportation infrastructure of Washington and the region," said FHWA Administrator Mary Peters. "The President understands that these investments are important to our quality of life and to keep our economy moving."

The following table shows the programs and projects funded by these grants.