A bad omen for a new bridge... Patty Murray blames a future McCain Whitehouse

The columbian ^ | August 14, 2008 | Jeff Mize

[Bean Counter]

Vancouver, WA - U.S. Sen. Patty Murray offered a bleak financial assessment this week for replacing the Interstate 5 Bridge, saying it would be “extremely difficult” for the federal government to provide even the minimum contribution backers expect.

Murray, D-Wash., told The Columbian the project faces a number of potential obstacles, including a projected $3.4 billion shortfall in the federal highway trust fund and the possibility of a John McCain presidency.

The Arizona Republican has promised to veto any “pork barrel” earmarks that direct federal dollars to projects outside the regular appropriations process.

Preliminary financial plans call for using $400 million to $600 million in federal highway money, plus an additional $654 million to $689 million in federal transit funds, for a package of bridge, highway and transit improvements expected to cost more than $3.5 billion. Tolls are part of the plan.

Columbia River Crossing supporters are counting on Murray to use her position as chairwoman of the Senate appropriations subcommittee on transportation to deliver the federal dollars.

Murray remains a strong supporter of the project, but she cautioned that it would be difficult to obtain even $400 million in highway funds or to find the necessary votes to approve a federal gas tax increase.

“That would take a lot of the right cards falling into place,” she said. “It would take a White House (that) says one of their major investments is going to be investment in transportation infrastructure across the country. It’s going to take Congress coming up with sufficient amount of new resources to do that. And it’s going to take this region coming together with such a solid package that it rises to the absolute top.”

Murray wouldn’t even discuss prospects for snagging $600 million from the highway fund, saying “those words, that amount, can’t come out of me.”

Her comments could reinforce concerns that the crossing project is relying on overly optimistic, or outdated, financial assumptions and fuel doubts over whether one of the costliest public works projects in Northwest history will ever be built.

The crossing project has attracted an assortment of critics who question if the bridge design is too ugly or if a freeway improvement project ignores the reality of declining vehicle travel and mounting concerns about global warming.

But the biggest challenge is money, at a time when federal and state officials say dwindling gas tax revenues aren’t sufficient to build existing projects on schedule, much less take on a new megaproject.

Gov. Chris Gregoire and others say the federal government must provide more than the $400 million to $600 million outlined in the project’s draft environmental impact statement. The Vancouver City Council deleted any reference to bridge tolls from its resolution supporting the crossing project and inserted language saying the federal government should “play a very prominent role in project funding.”

Murray said local governments and communities need to work together and take a pragmatic approach.

“They have to be realistic of what they can fund, whether it is a Golden Gate Bridge or whether it is a practical, common-sense approach to getting people across the river,” she said.

Bottom line, there are limits to what Congress can provide, Murray said.

“I would love to be Santa Claus,” she said, “and I’m not.”

Jeffrey Mize can be reached at jeff.mize@columbian.com or 360-735-4542.

[Bean Counter]

This story is not really news. This is the local Donosaur Media finally catching up to current time.

For anyone who has paid even scant attention to the bridge planning process over the past few years, Senator Patty Murray has been warning anyone who asks, not to expect a major Federal contribution toward funding this project.

Now we are down to where we should not expect a Federal contribution at all, and it's John McCain's fault already!

[bigfootbob]

I really hate this ignorant woman.

[johnny7]

Close yer’ mouth Patty... the flies are getting out!

[Red Badger]

The crossing project has attracted an assortment of critics who question if the bridge design is too ugly or if a freeway improvement project ignores the reality of declining vehicle travel and mounting concerns about global warming.

GW is everywhere you want to be..........................

[Eric in the Ozarks]

How ‘bout those day care centers Patty credited to Osama Bin Laden ?

[muawiyah]

The original Interstate highway deal was that the Federales would pay 90% to pay for building the road and the states 10%. The states would also agree to undertake ALL MAINTENANCE.

Obviously Minnesota is not intending to live up to the terms of the bargain and wants ME to build them a new bridge rather than for them to repair their own bridge.

Not likely!

[muawiyah]

Whoops, wrong bridge, but Democrats involved anyway. They want me to pay for the bridges they’ve failed to maintain.

[Abathar]

"Columbia River Crossing supporters are counting on Murray to use her position as chairwoman of the Senate appropriations subcommittee on transportation to deliver the federal dollars."

Of course they are, look at what the people of Boston got out of the rest of the country with their Big Dig.

They probably feel that to balance it out we need to do the same thing over on the west coast now.

[FrdmLvr]

So, Patty’s insinuating this bridge is a “pork barrel” project?

[Bean Counter]

"Of course they are, look at what the people of Boston got out of the rest of the country with their Big Dig.

They probably feel that to balance it out we need to do the same thing over on the west coast now"


You nailed it! There are people out here who think that "The Feds" need to pay for the whole thing, and with all the bells and whistles that have been mentioned, including the original Loot Rail system that is attached to the bridge, the cost would well exceed $10 Billion.

The City of Vancouver is even attempting to get the project to pay for "a cap" over interstate 5, in order to "...heal the wouund inflicted on the City by the Eisenhower Administration" when they put the interstate through...unquote.

West Coast "Big Dig" indeed...They need to paint this thing white with big, black spots...

[kromike]

How ‘bout those day care centers Patty credited to Osama Bin Laden ?

Say Patty-baby, why don't you ask Mr Day-Care-for-Women Osama for a loan? After all, Obama...err...excuse me...OSAMA is just a peaceful, loving Muslim who wants to help his fellow Infidel, right?

[B Knotts]

This bridge needs to be stopped. It doesn’t add any lanes over the current bridges. They want to spend all this money just to add light rail (”crime transporter”).

[B Knotts]

Also, they want to make it a toll bridge. The existing bridges are paid for and are not tolled.

[Steely Tom]

The upper-level Democrat leadership in DC have Patty down in the "too stupid to take seriously" catagory. They know they can give her some line of crap when she asks for her state's share of pork, and she'll just nod her head and trot off to tell her soccer mom constituents the bad news. The Big Dig was in Teddy's district, and he's a different kettle of fish altogether.

Too bad for her state, though. :)

[mtg]

This “Senator in tennis shoes” is the bad omen.

[Joe Boucher]

Were I ever president I’d do everything in my power to not allow funds to go to the district of pooh like U.S. Sen. Patty Murray or john Murtha.
But instead our President Bush kisses these foolish turds backsides and allows them free roam to jerk his chain.

[org.whodat]

Simple, kill the deal where former speaker, haster, crook was stealing millions for his private road and put it in the bridge.

[Wonder Warthog]

Actually, I’m not too fond of EITHER of my female senators. For someone who supposely has a high-tech background, Cantwell seems pretty vacuous, too.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Is this a cryptic admission that she expects the Obamessiah to lose?

[FlyVet]

Whenever a state whines about federal highway funding, the White House should issue a statement on how much money the state has diverted from its highway funding for vote-buying pork scams.

Not that is would, but it ought to.