Murray ships $236 million back home

By Alex Fryer
Seattle Times Washington bureau

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U.S. Sen. Patty Murray secured $236 million for Washington state projects — including funding for Sound Transit — in a final transportation spending bill hashed out by Congress.

Murray, one of a handful of lawmakers assigned to a select committee to work out differences between the House and Senate transportation bills, used her good relationship with a key Republican committee chairman to save $75 million allocated for the light-rail project next year.

The bill, agreed to late Wednesday night, also includes money for a proposed Seattle trolley, the Alaskan Way Viaduct and a road-improvement project in Pend Oreille County that primarily will benefit a soon-to-be-opened zinc mine.

Murray secured the money through so-called "earmarks" — specific projects included at the request of a lawmaker. By contrast, three years ago the state received $68 million in earmarks when both Murray, a Democrat, and Republican Sen. Slade Gorton served on the transportation spending subcommittee. Local officials were quick to herald Murray's efforts.

"Once again, she has demonstrated her ability to work across party lines and get results," said King County Executive Ron Sims.

A spokeswoman for Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels' office said: "This is fantastic. It's going to mean we're moving forward with these projects."

The bill marks the last chapter of Sound Transit's funding saga this year.

In July, the chairman of the House transportation spending subcommittee, Rep. Ernest Istook, R-Okla., failed to allocate anything for Sound Transit in his multibillion-dollar transportation plan.

Later, the full House voted to give Sound Transit $15 million. The Senate version included $75 million for Sound Transit, the same amount requested by the Bush administration.

Istook also was on the select committee of lawmakers hammering out the transportation bill. After weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations, Sound Transit got the full amount.

Murray's relationship with Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., chairman of the Senate's transportation spending panel, was key to the deal, said Senate sources.

Shelby visited Seattle last spring to talk to transit officials and tour the proposed Seattle-to-Tukwila route.

Sound Transit funding

Last month, the Federal Transit Administration signed a grant agreement to lay out $500 million to Sound Transit by 2009, enabling the agency to break ground on the $2.5 billion light-rail project.

Several other transit projects across the country were trimmed to make room for Sound Transit; a Los Angeles light-rail project lost out, even after the House voted to award it $10 million.

Murray also helped secure $1.22 billion for Amtrak.

Istook and other House members wanted to award $900 million to Amtrak next year, an amount that would cause the system to shut down, according to Amtrak officials.

Murray, who had been a major backer of Amtrak in the Senate version of the bill, reached out to Democratic senators from states with Republican governors. She asked the senators to ask the governors to lobby Republican members of Congress to save Amtrak.

Amtrak official grateful

Amtrak President David Gunn yesterday thanked Murray and other lawmakers, saying the money allocated by Congress will allow the system to operate next year. Seattle's King Street Station is the nation's 15th-busiest Amtrak station, with roughly 580,000 passengers annually.

Also included in the bill is $1 million to help plan for a replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, $5 million to purchase clean-air buses in King County and $20 million for a Boeing project to improve the air-traffic-control system.

Murray also brought in $1.6 million to improve Highway 31 in Pend Oreille County, though state transportation officials said earlier this month the paving project will be entirely paid for by the 5-cent raise in the state gas tax.

The federal money will go to further improvements on Highway 31, according to Murray's office. The primary beneficiary of the road will be a mining company that is expected to employ about 170 people

Both houses of Congress are expected to approve the final bill early next week.

The money in the bill for Washington projects comes on top of $600 million in federal highway and transit funds the state will receive next year.

Alex Fryer: 206-464-8124 or afryer@seattletimes.com

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