Congressman Dave Reichert

Congressman Dave Reichert submitted the following project requests from local cities, counties, and state agencies to create jobs, improve the flow of people and goods, and ease congestion in the Eighth District.

These project requests will be considered by Congress for inclusion in a bill authorizing funds for the nation’s transportation infrastructure investments over the next six years.

Below is a list of the project requests Congressman Reichert submitted on behalf of these entities, the amount of funding each entity requested, and a brief description of each project request.

This project is a $4,600,000 request from the City of Auburn office for the M Street SE Grade Separation project.  This project will lower M St SE below the existing BNSF Stampede Pass railroad, construct a new railroad bridge and retaining walls, widen the roadway from two to five lanes with a center turn lane, improve the signal at M St SE and 4th St SE (southerly approach to the grade separation), and install signal interconnection, curbs, gutters, storm-water facilities, sidewalks and bike lanes.  This request will allow the City to complete right of way acquisition.  Once completed, the grade separation will provide indirect benefits to the regional Ports of Seattle and Tacoma, and the BNSF railroad; it will also allow continued growth and increased economic impact, which will proportionally increase the number of jobs in the region.

City of Bellevue, NE 15th Street from 116th Avenue NE to 124th Avenue NE ($20,000,000)

This project is a $20,000,000 request from the City of Bellevue to construct a new east-west roadway to serve as a centerpiece for land use changes along the Bel-Red Innovation Corridor (NE 15th Street from 116th Avenue NE to 124th Avenue NE).  Design elements include the potential for two travel lanes in each direction, urban standard sidewalks, on-street parking on one side, and a multi-purpose off-street pedestrian and bike path. The new road has been designated a “green” street and will be designed with natural drainage practices to ensure it functions as a usable amenity for people living and working in the area.

City of Covington, Highway 516 improvements ($15,600,000)

This project is a $15,600,000 request from the City of Covington to widen SR 516 to five lanes from SE Wax Road to the vicinity of 185th Ave SE.  The project also includes some widening on SE Wax Road for channelization and sidewalk improvements in the vicinity of SR 516.

City of Issaquah, East Lake Sammamish Parkway – SE 56th Street to I-90 ($9,108,450)

This project is a $9,108,450 request from the City of Issaquah to construct an additional southbound travel lane on East Lake Sammamish Parkway, resulting in a complete four and five lane arterial, from SE 56th Street to I-90 along with additional turn lanes at the intersection with SE 62nd Street. Included are curbs, sidewalks, surface water collection and treatment facilities, bike lanes, street lighting and traffic signal improvements that will be tied into and operated through Issaquah’s computerized central Intelligent Transportation System (ITS.)This project will complete the final deficient roadway section on this important regional Principal Arterial, which has been classified by WSDOT as T-1, the State’s highest classification for freight routes.

City of Issaquah, I-90 Undercrossing Phases 1, 3 and 4 ($6,230,000)

This project is a $6,230,000 request from the City of Issaquah to for Phases 1, 3, and 4 of the I-90 Undercrossing Project.  The project will construct a third north-south arterial connecting the north and south sides of the I-90 freeway in Central Issaquah from Gilman Boulevard in the south to SE 56th Street to the north.  At present, there are only two routes providing access across I-90 in Central Issaquah – SR-900 and Front Street - both of which are regionally significant major arterials, have interchanges with the freeway, and experience congestion that causes significant operational problems at these interchanges of regional arterials with the federal interstate.

City of Kent, Green River Valley Railroad Grade Separations ($15,000,000)

This project is a $15,000,000 request from the City of Kent to construct grade separations between the roadway and the railroad tracks at S. 212th St., S. 228th St., and Willis St., including sidewalks, street lighting, and utilities. This project facilitates the movement of significant amounts of national and international freight on both road and rail. The Kent Valley generates one-third of all Port of Seattle and Port of Tacoma truck trips, and its rail lines move approximately 63 million tons of cargo each year. The 228th Street Corridor also serves as an important link with I-5, SR-167, SeaTac Airport, and the future SR-509 extension.

King County, Novelty Hill Road Improvement Project ($5,000,000)

This project is a $5,000,000 request from King County for the Novelty Hill Road Improvement Project.  This project will construct a new leg of 196th Avenue so that it intersects with Novelty Hill Road and a roundabout at this intersection to divert traffic onto the alternative access route to Redmond and SR520.  196th Avenue will be made wider and safer and from there, drivers will be able to access SR 520 by way of NE Union Hill Road and the recently constructed fly-over ramp leading directly onto the highway.  NE Union Hill Road will also be widened from two lanes to four.

City of Maple Valley, SR-169 from Witte Road to 228th Ave SE ($2,000,000)

This project is a $2,000,000 request from the City of Maple Valley to construct to construct a second southbound lane on SR-169 from Witte Road to 228th Ave SE.  The SR 169 highway provides vehicular, transit and freight mobility between Interstate 405 in Renton south through the cities of Maple Valley and Black Diamond and finally terminates in the City of Enumclaw at SR 410.  The existing bottleneck caused at the project area resulting from only one southbound lane can be minimized by the addition of a second southbound lane, thereby reducing travel delay and promoting freight mobility through the City of Maple Valley.

City of North Bend, North Bend Park N Ride ($550,000)

This project is a $550,000 request from the City of North Bend to complete construction of a 75-100 car Park and Ride Facility for use by local transit riders and car poolers coming off the I-90 Corridor.

Pierce County, 176th Street E Extension ($10,000,000)

This project is a $10,000,000 request from Pierce County for the design, right-of-way acquisition, and construction of a major arterial along a new corridor that will extend 176th Street E from its current terminus near the intersection of SR-162/Sunrise Boulevard E/130th Avenue E in the South Hill area of Puyallup, Washington to BR #31195-A at Calistoga Street E in Orting, Washington.  This major east-west route will provide an extremely important facility for the movement of traffic from I-5 to SR-7 and the gateway to Mount Rainier; to the mid-County employment center/industrial area of Frederickson; to SR-161 and the major residential and retail centers of the South Hill of Puyallup; and down the hill to SR-162 and the Orting Valley.  In addition to providing a major facility for the movement of traffic to and from the valley, this project will provide for a major evacuation route in the event of an eruption or major lahar flow from Mt. Rainier.

City of Renton, Rainier Avenue South (SR 167) Improvements Project ($4,000,000)

This project is a $4,000,000 request from the City of Renton for improvements to Rainier Avenue South (SR 167).  The project would install Business Access and Transit (BAT) lanes; left-turn lanes at intersections; a southbound right-turn lane at the intersection of Rainier Avenue South and South Grady Way; traffic signal upgrades, including signal pre-emption and signal coordination; driveways and pedestrian ramps per current ADA standards; marked crosswalks at each intersection; street lighting, including pedestrian-scale illumination; and storm water quality and conveyance system.

City of Renton, SW 27th Street/Strander Boulevard Connection Project ($38,000,000)

This project is a $38,000,000 request from the City of Renton to create a critical east/west connection that is missing between SW 27th Street in Renton and Strander Boulevard in Tukwila, providing an alternate route to Interstate 405 between I-5 and SR-167.  The project promotes transit oriented development and job creation where 25,000-34,000 jobs are estimated to be located by 2030, addresses significant safety issues associated with pedestrians and commuters currently having to cross two sets of railroad tracks, removes 55,000 vehicles from I-405 and SR-167, eliminates 40% of traffic congestion on South 180th, increases use of Sounder commuter rail, Amtrak, and other mass transit modes, save construction costs, and improves air quality.

Sound Transit, South Bellevue Park and Ride Parking Stall Expansion ($19,000,000)

This project is a $19,000,000 request from Sound Transit for expanding the number of parking stalls at the South Bellevue park-and-ride facility.  The project would increase the number of stalls at the parking facility from the current 520 stalls that are 90% full by 9:00am on weekdays to 1,000 to 1,475 parking stalls.  The facility provides connections to local and regional express bus service connecting Bellevue with downtown Seattle and Redmond.  This project supports multimodal connections providing access to jobs in the region's highest employment areas in King County, including downtown Seattle, Bellevue and Redmond. The project would reduce dependence on auto travel and helps people access employment centers without driving the congested I-405 and I-90 corridors.

Washington State Department of Transportation, SR 167, Tacoma to Puyallup - New Freeway ($160,000,000)

This project is a $160,000,000 request from the Washington State Department of Transportation for right-of-way acquisition, design, and construction for a new freeway along SR 167 from Tacoma to Puyallup, Washington.