08.27.03

Cantwell Secures $4 Million for Final Leg of Tacoma's D Street Overpass Project

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Maria Cantwell announced today that the Economic Development Administration (EDA) placed the final piece in the funding puzzle for Tacoma's D Street overpass today, providing a $4 million grant for the project. The economic impact the overpass will create—including 400 new jobs and increased rail and truck freight traffic through the Port of Tacoma—served as the key reasons the EDA chose the project for funding. "These funds are a shot in the arm for our economy. This is a smart long-term investment that also has short-term benefits. The improved ability to move goods keeps our port competitive in the long term and this will increase construction jobs in the area in the short term."

Cantwell, who serves on the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee, pushed the EDA to expedite the project and respond to the Port of Tacoma's needs.

"This is an exciting announcement for all of the partners involved," City Council Member Kevin Phelps said. "This project fits in with the FAST Corridor (Freight Action Strategy for the Seattle-Tacoma Corridor) goals of streamlining how freight travels through the Puget Sound area."

East D Street serves as a major corridor for rail and truck freight and for people wanting to access the revitalized Thea Foss Waterway. Once completed, the D Street overpass will separate train and motor vehicle traffic by raising the roadway over the railroad tracks.

"The D Street overpass project will help the region's transportation and maritime trade industry succeed in the highly competitive West Coast market," Port of Tacoma Commissioner Jack Fabulich said. "Due to the growth and added capacity, the Port anticipates that 400 permanent, family wage jobs will eventually be directly connected to the completion of this project, joining the 28,400 jobs in Pierce County already generated by Port activity."

The overpass will provide for realignment of the railroad tracks to ease the curve around the end of the Thea Foss Waterway—allowing train traffic to move at a higher speed. Vehicle traffic, which includes trucks carrying freight, will no longer need to wait for the trains that presently close off D Street to traffic.

The funding sources for the $28.2 million project include:

Burlington Northern Sante Fe ($1.125 million) Port of Tacoma ($2.85 million) Transportation Improvement Board ($5.18 million) Surface Transportation Program grants ($3.1 million) FAST Corridor ($6 million) Economic Development Administration ($4 million) Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board ($6 million) "Contributing $4 million toward this project is a sound investment in Tacoma's economic future," EDA Deputy Assistant Secretary David Bearden said. "That investment will have a major impact on the region's competitiveness and will create significant jobs—which is one of the core priorities of our organization."