03.12.24

WSDOT to Begin Construction on Vancouver Heights Transportation Infrastructure in Summer/Fall 2024 With Funds Secured by Cantwell

$4m for Heights redevelopment among 11 projects in SW WA to receive FY24 appropriations, totaling $18.92m Additional funding secured for White Salmon Bridge, Lower Columbia College vocational training, and more Cantwell priorities

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced that the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will receive $4 million to begin construction on the Heights Infrastructure Investment Project, a necessary step in developing a new economic district in central Vancouver.

“This funding means that construction work can begin on the West Gateway and the Grand Loop as early as this summer, reducing traffic accidents and making the Heights District easier to navigate for cars, pedestrians, and cyclists alike. Infrastructure investments like these are necessary in order to transform the up-and-coming Heights District into the economic engine that Vancouver leaders are envisioning,” Sen. Cantwell said.

The Heights Infrastructure Investment Project will allow the City of Vancouver to provide infrastructure elements to support the redevelopment of a new economic district in Vancouver. The city secured $4 million of a $30 million project to begin construction of public infrastructure associated with its Heights District Plan. Project elements include a Complete Streets Corridor that will enhance traffic safety and provide a greenbelt path for cyclists and pedestrians alongside, but separate from, vehicle traffic. The project includes two components -- the West Gateway and the Grand Loop – and aims to increase safety for all modes of transit, improve access to the district, improve environmental quality, and prepare the area for private sector redevelopment. Construction is expected to start in the summer or fall of 2024.

The funding for the Heights project was championed by Sen. Cantwell in appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2024 – among the 11 grants across Southwest Washington that Sen. Cantwell helped to secure. U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D, WA-03) also served as a cosponsor. The other projects Sen. Cantwell helped to fund in the Southwest Washington region include:

  • $4 million for the preliminary engineering and design of the White Salmon Interstate Bridge replacement. The project was cosponsored by U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R, WA-04)
  • $3.28 million for WSDOT to reconstruct and stabilize Wind River Road for freight, residential, and visitor traffic accessing Carson, WA in Skamania County.
  • $1 million for Cowlitz County to construct a new raw water reservoir and required piping to serve the Ryderwood area of Cowlitz County and improve drought resiliency. Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez is a cosponsor.
  • $1.49 million for the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe for a feasibility study, planning and design of a water and wastewater treatment system that will support homes and government buildings in the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe’s new location.
  • $1 million for Lower Columbia College in Longview, WA, to upgrade equipment and technology for vocational training in industries such as welding and machining. The project is cosponsored by Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez.
  • $963,000 for the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office to purchase equipment to upgrade and replace its current public safety radio communications system. Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez cosponsored the project.
  • $959,757 for the City of Washougal’s Wastewater Treatment Plant Project, to help ensure access to a clean and affordable wastewater treatment for the residents of Washougal and protect the Columbia River and Steigerwald National Wildlife Refuge. Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez is a cosponsor.
  • $959,752 for Public Utility District No. 1 of Wahkiakum County to develop an alternative water source for Puget Island. The project is cosponsored by Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez.
  • $500,000 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop plans for a new tribal village near The Dalles Lock and Dam. U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) are cosponsors.
  • $180,000 for Cowlitz County to provide the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with necessary resources to conduct Mt. St. Helens sediment monitoring along the Cowlitz and Toutle rivers.

Sen. Cantwell helped secure funding for 74 projects across the State of Washington totaling $138.58 million; the full list of projects is available HERE.