Today Senator Murray visited the Lynnwood Transit Center and Park & Ride Lot, the hub of Community Transit’s service in south Snohomish County.
Senator Murray has secured $1.8 million in transportation funding for two projects at the Lynnwood Park & Ride: the Transit Center and the Direct Access Ramp. Combined with another $3 million in federal grants, the funding allowed construction of better facilities and more passenger amenities, including more than 1,200 parking spaces, making it the largest such facility in the state.
Senator Murray delivered the following remarks:
It’s great to be here today to see the progress being made on these two projects. I’m thrilled to see that the Transit Center has been completed, and that the Direct Access Ramp is well on its way to being done – ahead of schedule!
You know, so many people have contributed to this project. I want to thank Sound Transit, the Washington State Department of Transportation, Community Transit, and the City of Lynnwood for working so hard together to drive this project forward. This is really a great example of people coming together to meet local needs.
I know that transportation investment creates jobs. That’s why I worked to secure $14.5 million in 2002 and 2003 for transit express hubs like this one including $1.8 million that went directly to Lynnwood’s Transit Center and Direct Access Ramp.
When you add in the $3 million in federal grants for the project, the federal government’s contribution to this project is $4.8 million. That shows how much we value transportation projects as a way to keep our state moving – and growing.
In fact, as ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Transportation subcommittee, I’ve seen firsthand that investments in transportation create good jobs, help our economy, and improve our quality of life.
Having followed this project closely, and having taken a tour of the facilities today, I can see that Lynnwood – and all of south Snohomish County – stands to reap all of these benefits as a result of your hard work. Let me be a bit more specific about each of these benefits.
First, this project has created – and will continue to create – good, family-wage jobs. These jobs contribute to our local and regional economies, and they’re just the kinds of jobs we need.
Second, transportation projects support economic growth. As you know, when people get good jobs, we increase their buying power. As demand for goods and services increases, the local economy grows, and we create more jobs and more prosperity.
I’m told that the 1,200 parking spaces at the Transit Center make this the biggest facility of its kind in our state. That’s a lot of capacity to bring people to this facility, where they can support the local economy.
Third, these improvements will increase efficiency and enhance the quality of life for residents of south Snohomish County. By allowing direct access to HOV lanes, the Direct Access Ramp removes the need for buses and other big vehicles to merge across the freeway and slow down traffic.
The use of side streets by these vehicles will also be greatly reduced, which means that everybody gets where they’re going faster. Then there’s the benefit we all enjoy when we make it more convenient for commuters to use transit.
The Transit Center’s improved facilities and its new amenities will make it pleasant for commuters – especially the many who travel to the Seattle area daily – to use transit instead of private passenger cars. This gets cars off the road, reducing congestion and reducing the impact of daily commutes on our environment.
These two projects help the people of Lynnwood – and all of south Snohomish County – win in so many important ways.
I’m proud to have contributed to this partnership, and I’m going to continue to be your partner in the United States Senate – well beyond when this ramp project is finished.
Thanks so much for your cooperation on these projects, and congratulations on a job that’s being very well done.
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