Stimulus Bill Needed More of These Types of Projects to Grow Economy

Spokane, WA- Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) announced today that The US Department of Transportation will be awarding a Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Grant of $35 Million to the Washington State Department of Transportation for the construction of a segment of the US 395 North Spokane Corridor from Francis Avenue to Farwell Road in Spokane County.  Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers released the following statement on the award:

“I am pleased The U.S. Department of Transportation has chosen to award $35 million for the North Spokane Corridor.  This is precisely the type of project the government should be funding.  I have been a champion for this project since my earliest days in Congress, and for years, I have worked with local leaders and my colleagues in the U.S. House and Senate to advance it.  In fact, the North Spokane Corridor has been a multi-generational project for our community for over 50 years.  That’s why it’s great to see everyone’s dedication rewarded.” 

“One year ago today, President Obama signed into law the controversial $787 billion stimulus bill.  I voted against that bill because it didn’t include enough measures to truly stimulate our economy, such as tax relief and infrastructure spending, while spending far too much money on other government projects that would not create jobs.  The fact that over 3 million private sector jobs have been lost since the stimulus bill became law supports that argument. 

“As we look to the future, investment in our transportation infrastructure helps to ensure successful economic growth, development and global competitiveness.  This international connector will help create more than $140 million annually in revenue to our community.”

“This is vital to Eastern Washington as it will help farmers transport agriculture commodities and business owners transport their goods to other parts of the country.”

“The North Spokane Corridor is an effective multimodal transportation mechanism for our community, state and nation.  It will encourage the use of alternate transportation by providing park and ride lots and reserving space for high capacity transit.”

 “Once completed, the corridor will connect trade routes through Eastern Washington reducing travel time by approximately two million hours each year, which computes to about $28 million in savings, and will reduce gasoline use by approximately 1.7 million gallons annually.” 

To date Washington State has provided $555 Million in funding for this project compared to only $18 Million by the federal government.