Rep. Suzan DelBene (WA-01) announced the start of an infrastructure tour of the First Congressional District to get a firsthand look at local projects that could help drive economic growth and support good-paying jobs in the region.
She plans to visit project sites across the district over the next year. The first three stops of DelBene’s tour occurred on March 20 in Snohomish and King counties.
“There are many roads, rails, bridges and tunnels across Washington state that are in need of improvements. Making these critical investments will not only improve our infrastructure, it will bolster our economy by adding good-paying jobs for middle class families. I look forward to hearing from people on the ground and taking their message back to Washington, D.C., where I will keep fighting for more infrastructure dollars for our region,” stated DelBene, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.
DelBene toured the Totem Lake Connector Bridge project site in Kirkland, which upon completion, will be a bicycle and pedestrian bridge. It will connect two ends of the Cross Kirkland Corridor that are currently divided by a complicated intersection, which carries upwards of 50,000 vehicles every day.
Totem Lake is experiencing tremendous re-development, and the concept of the bridge is to “connect and unify the community through an iconic gateway,” said Kirkland Mayor Penny Sweet.
The bridge will connect Totem Lake to Woodinville and Redmond, as well as complete a key link in the regional trail system. Design is complete and construction is expected to take about two years. Kirkland has allocated more than a third of the funds necessary to build the $18.4 million bridge and is asking the federal government for the remaining $10 million.
Earlier in the day, DelBene visited the I-405/SR-522/527 improvement project in Bothell that would widen I-405 through the SR-522 interchange and build direct access ramps to the express toll lanes to help ease congestion and the Hwy 2 trestle in Everett that is in need of maintenance to ease the heavy traffic and the high volume of accidents.
“These projects are important to our region and the economy in our region and making sure that we have traffic flow and transit opportunities is key,” DelBene, who is vice chair of the New Democrat Coalition, told the Reporter.
Congresswoman Suzan DelBene and Kirkland Mayor Penny Sweet listen to Kirkland employees explain the importance of the Totem Lake Connector project to the city and the region. Katie Metzger/staff photo
John Starbard from Kirkland’s public works department shows Congresswoman Suzan DelBene how the Totem Lake Connector will improve the experience for cars, pedestrians and bicyclists at the busiest intersection in the city. Katie Metzger/staff photo
