Transportation and Infrastructure

Residents of the 10th Congressional District need and deserve reliable roadways, safe and secure bridges, schools with modern technology, and a basic infrastructure backbone that allows every person and business to function at their best.

Representative Denny Heck has several transportation and infrastructure proposals and projects underway to bring the necessary changes to the 10th Congressional District to help our regional economy thrive.  

COMMUTE ACT

In many areas around the country, and especially in the 10th Congressional District, the traffic around military bases can often be unbearable. The congestion affects the military readiness of the troops, clogs up the moving of goods to market and delays everything from a person’s daily trip to the office to getting to the beach for a family vacation. Either trying to get to work or trying to get away from work, commuters can’t win. Infrastructure developments to address this problem are needed now, and will be needed much more in the future.

The only existing DoD program that provides funding for public highway improvements is the Defense Access Roads program, a program limited by outdated and restrictive eligibility criteria and designed at a time when bases were only expected to be in relatively undeveloped regions.

In July 2014, Rep. Denny Heck introduced the bipartisan COMMUTE Act with Rep Walter Jones (R-NC). The COMMUTE Act, which stands for “Creating Opportunities for Military Members to Use Transportation Efficiently,” would replace the Defense Access Roads program with a more streamlined, competitive grant program.

Grants for the construction of transportation improvements in military communities would be awarded through the DoD’s Office of Economic Adjustment.

To be eligible for this grant program, transportation infrastructure projects would need to be near a base designated as a military growth installation by the DoD’s Office of Economic Adjustment.. They would also need to be in an urban area, based on the 2010 census.

The new program also requires base master plans to be developed in coordination with the local area’s transportation planning process so those of you working in the surrounding communities are involved.

By speeding up the process and updating it to fit our nation’s current needs, Congress can make the adequate fixes to get these high-priority projects off the blueprints and turn them into roads we can use.

Heck discusses the COMMUTE Act on the House floor

INVESTING IN INFRASTRUCTURE TO KEEP OUR ECONOMY MOVING

The 10th Congressional District includes the port of Olympia, part of the port of Tacoma, and many employees of the port of Shelton. That is over 100,000 family-wage jobs. Almost one-third of our nation’s GDP is a result of international trade, including 1.4 trillion dollars-worth of goods each year via our nation’s ports.

In 2014, Rep. Denny Heck supported the bipartisan Water Resources Reform and Development Act, commonly known as WRRDA. This bill modernizes our nation's water infrastructure, including our nation’s ports and waterways, by authorizing new and necessary Army Corps of Engineers projects. And the bill keeps costs under control by getting rid of old, out-of-date projects.

Rep. Heck pushed very hard for the final bill to include the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act—or WIFIA— which would provide our communities with access to low-cost, long-term financing needed to address aging water infrastructure and ensure water needs are met for future generations.

Heck speaks in favor of modernizing our water infrastructure

Stormwater infrastructure goes beyond the numerous, critical environmental benefits such as reduced flooding and improved green spaces. It means economic benefits as well. Family wage jobs across multiple public works sectors, better property values, and cost savings over the long-term.

As a supporter of the Innovative Stormwater Infrastructure Act and the Green Stormwater Infrastructure Financing Investment Act, Rep. Denny Heck advocates for funding inventive stormwater strategies that allow communities to plan, develop, and implement stormwater control projects. The Innovative Stormwater Infrastructure Act would establish “Centers of Excellence” for different regions that would conduct research, develop recommendations, and provide training and technical assistance to implement management practices for stormwater control and management. The Green Stormwater Infrastructure Financing Investment Act would create financing incentives to help state, Tribal, and local governments invest in Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI).

STATE ROUTE 167

Economic development in the 10th Congressional District depends heavily on the completion of the freight corridor for the Port of Tacoma, SR 167.

Rep. Denny Heck convened the SR 167 Completion Coalition and have worked closely with the members to get this important roadway between Puyallup’s SR 161 and Tacoma’s SR 509 completed. The SR 167 Completion Coalition includes input from business, labor, local government, and local residents. The mission of the coalition is to put pressure on state lawmakers to fund the $1.5 billion project that has been overdue for 30 years.

SR 167 alone would create almost one thousand jobs, and the potential to create 80,000 permanent jobs statewide once it’s up and running. The area has waited three decades for the road to be completed and Rep. Heck believes its progress is critical for our region’s economy. 

On July 16, 2015, Governor Jay Inslee signed into law the $16 billion transportation package. The package included complete of SR 167, and as a whole is expected to create around 200,000 jobs.