One of the busiest rail crossings in the country is one step closer to a massive infrastructure update, thanks to redirection of funds from the Port of Seattle.
The port has, under a memorandum of understanding, sent $10 million toward completing the South Lander Street bridge project and $5 million toward the development of traffic easing and safety improvements on freight and transit corridors throughout the city. The South Lander Street project alone is estimated to cost $123 million when completed and received a $45 million federal grant to aid the process last fall. It is scheduled to begin in 2018.
“Washington state loses millions of dollars in economic activity because of train, truck, and urban traffic congestion – at Lander Street alone,” U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) said. “By moving freight faster, we can fuel our export economy and create good paying jobs.”
The bridge is a major crossing for the city’s east-west corridor, with a heavy convergence of freight, buses, bikes, pedestrians and daily commuters. Factor in a 4.5 hours-per-day closure due to rail traffic, and it makes for a massive disruption in area momentum. Local officials hope that a new four-lane bridge will not only help reduce the backlog but increase safety for pedestrians, of which three have died on the crossing since 2011.
“The City of Seattle, the Port of Seattle, the state of Washington, and federal leaders like United States Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell all came together around this vital infrastructure project because we are all committed to building a thriving, 21st Century economy that channels our booming $38 billion maritime industry,” Mayor Ed Murray said. “I’ve worked on this project dating back to my time in the state legislature, to support our industrial and maritime economy. Our shared economic values of mobility, safety, living wage jobs, and a clean environment all aligned around this bridge to the future.”