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Washington Secretary of Transportation Paula Hammond victoriously holds up the cut ribbon on the new Talbot interchange, with cheerful Renton officials, state officials and builders at her side. Photo from Auburn Reporter.
I enjoyed participating in a festive ribbon cutting ceremony today on a new on-ramp to I-405. There were due congratulations all the way around for the completed project. After 8 years of planning, and a year and half of aggressive construction, Merlino Construction (a Renton firm) delivered the new I-405 Exit eight months ahead of schedule. Furthermore, their construction design/build team process helped bring the project in under budget.
The new on and off-ramps will save significant drive time (as much as five to ten minutes) for motorists living on Benson Hill and desiring to take I-405 toward Bellevue. Likewise, the new on and off ramps will save time for motorists making their way from north to south Renton. For instance my wife, who takes our kids from our North Renton Highlands home to the Homeschool HOME program at Spring Glen Elementary, will now be able to take I-405 to exit 3, and then simply head up Talbot. The new ramps will also reduce the congestion on the Rainier Ave on and off ramps, as well as reduce traffic on Grady between Rainier and Talbot. This will be a great step for congestion relief.
The event was well-covered by TV and other local media, so I’ll leave it to them to communicate all the details. Here is one of the first articles I have found posted. UPDATE 7:10PM Here is the story, with more detail, in Renton Patch.
Renton Mayor Denis Law addresses public officials, builders and citizens assembled to mark the opening of the new Talbot on and off ramps. (This photo is on the on-ramp, under the new Benson Bridge, facing north-east.)
8 years of planning says it all! If it wasn’t for all of the liberal environmental BS, it could have been completed years ago. If you were to hand an idea to Merlino, without all the studies that needed to be done by the feds and state, they could have built that in 1-1/2 years or less from start to finish. Liberalism doesn’t work, it only slows things down. TCC
Yeah, not only should it have been built in a year and a half (I’m assuming you have some kind of expertise in general contracting or civil engineering to make that declaration), people could have been driving on the ramp with cars powered by leaded gas. You know, because those stupid “liberal” environment policies just make everything more expensive and DON’T WORK.
Keep trying to politicize everything black and white based on your ignorance of reality. It’s quite entertaining.
You do know that it was Richard Nixon who started the EPA?
(And knowing is half the battle….)
safety slows things down. Moving forward blindly will cost money and lives
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