Congressman Kurt Schrader testified today in front of the House Transportation Subcommittee on Highways and Transit in support of federal funding to rebuild the Woodburn/I-5 Interchange.

“The Woodburn Interchange has been one of the top priorities of Oregonians for a long time,” Schrader told the committee. The Interchange has become “a major choking point along the I-5 corridor through the Willamette Valley, slowing traffic, hurting local businesses, impeding freight movement for the entire West Coast, and putting the safety of drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians at risk along this important trade corridor.”

The Woodburn Interchange was first constructed in 1950 and last updated in 1975. The Interchange project is a top priority of the Oregon Department of Transportation and community leaders. Local leaders were quick to praise Congressman Schrader’s commitment to this important project.

"I'm very grateful to Congressman Schrader for making the Woodburn Interchange a high priority for him and the state of Oregon,” said Marion County Commissioner Sam Brentano. “I believe it is past time to fix this structure which has become an impediment to travel and safety on the I-5 corridor.  This project will drastically improve freight mobility and provide much needed jobs for our region."

Woodburn Mayor Kathy Figley also expressed her strong support for the project. "For the last several weeks, the blooming fields of tulips east of Woodburn have been a regional attraction. However, they have also offered the specter of potential tragedy as traffic waiting to exit at the Woodburn Interchange has backed up for distances ranging from two to six miles.  Congressman Schrader and the Oregon Transportation Commission and ODOT should be applauded for making the reconstruction of the Woodburn Interchange and Highway 214 a top priority. The need is to complete this important state and national project before the failure of the interchange and its effects on the major traffic corridor on the West Coast lead to tragedy.”

In the coming weeks Congressman Schrader will make a specific funding request of the House Transportation Committee to fund the construction of the Interchange. Congressman Schrader will continue to work to make this funding a reality in the 2009 Transportation Authorization bill.