This morning, the House of Represenatives passed the 2007-09 biennial transportation budget. A floor amendment to the budget offered by Rep. Judy Clibborn (D-Mercer Island) will provide some financial assurance for the UW Bothell SR 522 interchange project. Ranking minority member Rep. Fred Jarrett (R-Mercer Island) also spoke in favor of the amendment which passed unanimously.
Recent cost estimates indicate that the project could be approximately $6 million short of what it will take to complete the new campus access point off of SR 522. The adopted amendment states that if the 2007-09 state capital budget does not provide any new funding for the project, then related cost increases would be eligible for a transfer from the transportation management reserve.