Resolution 6837 - Laserfiche WebLink

"P„. :0,111,, RESOLUTION NO. 6837 > A RESOLUTION of the City Council of the City of Everett, Washington, in strong support of a 2015 Transportation Revenue-and-Reform Package WHEREAS, a healthy transportation system is a critical foundation of our state and local economies and our quality of life, as well as our global position as a leader in aerospace and airplane manufacturing and as the nation's most trade-dependent state; and WHEREAS, Washington State's transportation system is in disrepair with a backlog of maintenance and preservation needs; and WHEREAS, congestion and delay on critical freeway corridors are getting significantly worse as demonstrated by the amount of time motorists traveling from Everett to Seattle needed to leave themselves to be sure of an on-time arrival. That figure has jumped from 62 minutes to 80 minutes according to State Department of Transportation data; and WHEREAS, failing roads and bridges, congested highway corridors, and bottlenecked interchanges undermine the mobility of vehicles, buses, and freight haulers to move people and goods; and WHEREAS, in 2012, the Connecting Washington Task Force identified $50 billion in unfunded transportation needs and recommended an investment in $21 billion in funding during the next 10 years for maintenance, preservation, and strategic investments; and WHEREAS, through the passage of ESSB 5987 and ESSB 5988, the Washington State Senate has approved a 16-year, $15.1 billion package that makes a very good down-payment on transportation package investments. The Senate-approved package also includes eight different reform bills to help ensure the state designs, permits, and builds transportation projects in the most efficient way possible; and WHEREAS, the package provides critical funding for key statewide highway projects specifically among them the I- 5 peak-use shoulder lanes between Marine View Dr. and Marysville; I-5/SR526 improvements with a Hardeson Rd. half-interchange; Phase I and Phase II of the West Marine View Dr. to 41St to 1-5 freight corridor; and to a series of other capacity projects throughout Snohomish County; and WHEREAS, the transportation package also provides a direct distribution of$375 million over 16 years for Everett and other cities and counties throughout the state to maintain local roadways and transportation systems; and