A long-awaited Auburn street project will get the green light.
The $750,000 M Street Southeast Grade Separation Project is among $10.8 million in Eighth District funding approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday.
Auburn made the list of several projects the House approved in Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) appropriations legislation for the federal government’s fiscal year 2010.
“Transportation touches all of us, from parents taking a child to soccer practice to the movement of our goods and services,” said U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Auburn, who helped secure the district funding. “The success of our economy depends upon our ability to move our goods out to global markets and import the goods we need to remain competitive.
“The projects for Washington state in this bill will directly create jobs,” Reichert said. “These projects will improve the quality of life in the region, by investing in mass transit and alleviating gridlock for families and workers, a key component in keeping and attracting new businesses.”
The Auburn project involves the lowering of M Street Southeast at the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Stampede Pass tracks and the construction of a bypass route to improve connectivity and mitigate construction impacts.
The construction of the M Street underpass where it will cross under the BNSF Stampede Pass line will create an efficient flow of traffic unimpeded by train traffic, eliminating the possibility of train/vehicular collisions.
Funding would complete the final segment of the M Street Corridor, a significant arterial connection between State Route 167 and SR 164 through Auburn.
Elsehwere
Funding also was successfully obtained for the following district projects:
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Bellevue – Bellevue Community Center Upgrade Project ($150,000).
• Cities of Maple Valley and Covington – SE King County Commuter Rail and Transit Centers Feasibility Study ($360,000)
• City of Snoqualmie – Snoqualmie Historic Downtown Main Street Infrastructure Improvements ($250,000)
• King County – Bellevue-Redmond RapidRide ($9,368,193).
H.R. 3288 provides $21.5 billion for the Department of Transportation, which funds the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Federal Railroad Administration, and the Federal Transit Administration. The Department of Transportation (DOT) funds the building and maintenance our nation’s infrastructure. The bill also provides $47 billion in funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, including funds for Public and Indian Housing, Community Planning and Development programs, and the Federal Housing Administration. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides public housing for our nation’s most vulnerable.
