Oregon was completely shut out and Washington received one nod, according to the working draft of President Donald Trump’s list of 50 top priority infrastructure projects across the country.
First reported by McClatchy, this draft proposal—while not final—does not include anything for Oregon, which has lawmakers there concerned the final list won’t look too much different, reports The Oregonian.
The working draft does include money to expand Washington State’s Sea-Tac airport, but makes no mention of projects in the Beaver State. All United States governors were asked to list five shovel-ready projects that solved a public safety or national security problem and could create jobs immediately. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown pointed to needs to relieve congestion on Interstate 205, Oregon 217 and Interstate 5 in Salem. Other requests included seismic upgrades, water infrastructure improvements and fiber Internet in rural Oregon. Brown’s list rated seismic upgrades to bridges as the number-one priority.
There was no mention of the Columbia River Crossing project that calls for a new I-5 bridge over the Columbia River connecting Oregon to Washington on the Oregon priority list. Both Brown and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee say there are no plans to revive that project at this time, but Inslee did include that project on his list of most important projects in Washington.
Along with the controversial project—Sen. Don Benton of Vancouver, Washington, an outspoken opponent of the project, was named to help Trump transition the Environmental Protection Agency—Inslee wanted money to speed up already voter-approved Sound Transit light rail projects and widen Interstate 405 and State Route 522. The $2 billion Sea-Tac project that made the early list could include anything from upgrades to terminals and airfields to expansion or facility modernization.
According to the Tacoma News-Tribune, Sea-Tac already has plans to install a new baggage handling system, renovate the north satellite terminal and create a new facility for international arrivals, projects that are worth about $2 billion.
While the Trump list remains a draft, the early version has worried Oregon leaders and given at least some hope to those in Washington.
Follow Tim Newcomb on Twitter at @tdnewcomb.