A significant flood control project, congestion relief for the Covington area and a study for commuter rail were among the projects the Legislature has funded in the state’s two-year construction and transportation budget, Sen. Claudia Kauffman, D-Kent announced today.
Two million dollars will be directed toward improvements to SR 516, widening the road to five lanes from Wax Road to 185th Ave. SE to reduce backups in the area that connects rural Covington with the downtown area.
The transportation budget also directs $400,000 toward a study to get the ball rolling on connecting Maple Valley and Covington to Sounder trains and busses in Auburn via passenger cars that can utilize existing tracks.
“Both of these projects are not only going to create jobs now, they also are important for keeping jobs and maintaining a strong economy in South King County. We need to make sure we don’t get forgotten among some of these mega-projects to our north. We have important needs, too,” Kauffman said.
The state’s construction budget approved late last week also includes $800,000 for a renovation and addition to the Leg Gove Community Center in Auburn. Kauffman said that the area Boys & Girls Club will take over the center and the funding will expand the gym and renovate the community center. Planners there say a variety of programs can be housed at the center.
Ten million dollars was allocated to repair the Horseshow Bend flood control levee in the downtown Kent.
“After what happened this past January, it’s past time that we get going to bring this levee up to standards. It was built in the thirties, and it protects thousands of residents and SR 167,” Kauffman said. This upgrade is crucial in the wake of damage to the Howard Hanson Dam that reduces it capacity and leaves engineers little choice but to release all rain water into the Green River.
The state’s capital construction and transportation budgets are legally separated from the operating budget, which faced a $9 billion revenue shortfall due to the national recession and lagging sales tax revenue. Both budgets are funded through separate sources – largely gas tax revenues and bonds.