In either case, the Washington Legislature must address the troubles in the state transportation system now. The wait already has been too long. These are just the state responsibilities. The situation is no better on the roads maintained by counties and cities, while mass transit disappears for lack of funding and even simple and cheap improvements to the efficiency of airports or rail lines prove bureaucratically or financially impossible. Drivers know it.
Business owners know it.
The slower pace this system imposes and the inefficiency that results are picking every pocket in the state, every day. Don't be fooled into thinking that we fortunate residents of North Central Washington are unaffected by these troubles. The difficulty in moving goods and humans in this state hampers business and affects employment everywhere, especially in communities like ours, dependent on moving goods to distant markets. A traffic jam in Seattle hurts the bottom line in Wenatchee. More importantly, the shortage of funding for highway projects statewide makes it far less likely our own transportation shortfalls will be addressed, which affects this region's economy and future prosperity.