Murray adds $3 million in federal funds to South Park Bridge kitty | Politics

Funding for a new South Park Bridge has now reached $99 million after U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chairman of the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, today announced that she has been able to steer $3 million in federal transportation funding as a first installment of federal support to replace the South Park Bridge.

Murray has also pledged to support the South Park Bridge replacement project in the upcoming TIGER II grant competition.

“This is an important first step toward pushing the federal government to pick up their portion of the tab for replacing this critical bridge,” said Senator Murray. “State, county and local government have shown that they are ready to get behind replacing South Park Bridge and I’m going to work ensure that the federal government is too.”

“The South Park Bridge is vital to the economy and well-being of those who live in the neighborhoods surrounding the bridge and beyond. This is a start, but there is a lot more work to be done to make this project a reality. That’s why I will be working to support South Park’s TIGER II grant application and why I’ll continue to go to bat for the federal funding this project needs”

The funding that Senator Murray secured is included in the Fiscal Year 2011 Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations bill. Murray, who chairs the THUD Appropriations Subcommittee, helped clear the bill through subcommittee today. The bill is expected to move forward in full Appropriations Committee consideration tomorrow.

Senator Murray, as Chairman of the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, created the $1.5 billion TIGER and $600 million TIGER II program.

To date, the South Park Bridge replacement project, with an estimated $130 million cost, has $15 million from the city, $31 million from the county, $20 million from the state, $5 million from the Port of Seattle, $10 million from the state Transportation Board, $15 million from the Puget Sound Regional Council’s Transportation Policy Board and now $3 million from the federal government - adding up to $99 million.

Photo courtesy Meredith Hall.