U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen met with officials from Snohomish County, Edmonds, Lynnwood and other cities Wednesday  for a roundtable discussion about current surface transportation projects and priorities and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 

Among those in attendance at Lynnwood City Hall were Lynnwood Mayor Christine Frizzell, Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin, Community Transit CEO Ric Ilgenfritz, Snohomish County Director of Public Works Kelly Snyder, Edmonds City Engineer Robert English, Mukilteo Mayor Joe Marine, Lynnwood City Engineer David Mach, Puget Sound Regional Council Director of Government Relations and Communications Robin Koskey and Stanwood City Administrator Sean Smith.

Signed by former President Joe Biden in November 2021, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) allocated about $1 trillion to modernize transportation infrastructures, expand internet access, strengthen the electric grid, and develop clean energy and power infrastructures. For transportation, BIL allocates about $350 billion to public roads, bridges, and pedestrian and bicycle safety, while public transportation and rails receive about $250 billion. Larsen said that more than 66,000 projects have been started nationwide since BIL was passed.

BIL establishes funding levels and guides transportation policy for the next five years.

“You can’t have a big-league economy with low-league infrastructure,” Larsen said. “So it is important that we have these dollars to invest to make some things happen. And when we do that, we know that transportation means jobs, and transportation investment is a long-term economic growth in our region.

Larsen added that he and the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee will be working on a surface transportation bill that will run from 2026 to 2031. “The big part of why I’m here today and why it’s important I hear from you [city and county officials] so that I can be smart about what we’re doing, what you all need here in the district,” he said. “So I go back to Washington, D.C. in a couple of weeks, and I want to be armed with your priorities, your problems, your challenges as well.”

Ilgenfritz said that Community Transit’s federal funding has been fluctuating, and without a federal partnership, working on any projects “would be very, very difficult.”

According to Ilgenfritz, one such project is providing “micromobility” transportation that serves those who are mobility challenged. This service transports them to destinations that are not serviced by public transit.

“We have the regulatory obligation to provide our service, but we’re seeing folks who either don’t qualify for prepared transit,” Ilgenfritz said. Those riders choose Community Transit’s Zip shuttle instead “because it’s useful or faster…so I consider that being a really big growth opportunity,” he said. 

County Public Works Director Kelly Snyder said that the county’s challenges include obtaining funding to upgrade 1,600 miles of roads and 200-plus bridges in Snohomish County. 

“We use 10 federal sources for all of our projects – about $140 million for county projects,” Snyder said. “But these projects continue to escalate [in costs], and it’s difficult to make those ends meet. So we’re cutting off other projects that don’t have those funds.”

City of Edmonds Engineer Rob English highlighted the Highway 99 Revitalization Project, which is a four-phase project to redesign and improve a 2.25-mile stretch of Highway 99 and its surrounding areas. It focuses on safety, walkability, economic development and creating a distinct corridor identity.

English said that the City of Edmonds is focused on creating the infrastructure needed to accommodate expected increases in population density. “Pavement preservation is a real need for our city,” he said. “We continue to try to find ways to fund that.”

English added that the city is a “little bit behind” compared to other cities that have already implemented the Regional Safety Action Plan, which aims to make roads safer by reducing crashes, injuries and deaths. This would involve improving road designs, adding traffic signs and crosswalks, and managing vehicle speed.

“We’re hoping that this [Safety Action Plan] gets extended [by the federal government] so we can go after an implementation grant next year,” English said.

Larsen said that there are thousands of grant awards that have not been reviewed yet, and getting an extension for the plan would need a “hard case” to present to the federal government. He suggested that to present such a case, focus on the number of highway deaths that involve pedestrians and propose solutions that would reduce pedestrian deaths, such as building sidewalks.

“There are legitimate reasons to fund things the [Trump] administration is currently standing against, and [it’s a good strategy to use] their reasons [to give] money,” Larsen said.

After the meeting, Larsen and some Lynnwood city officials toured the Scriber Creek Trail, starting at Sprague’s Pond Mini Park, which leads to Scriber Lake Park. Larsen took notes on what he saw along the path, including the wildlife and the trail itself.

Larsen had secured $500,000 in earmark funding for the phase 3 of the Scriber Creek Trail project. Completion of this phase will connect the Interurban Trail to Scriber Creek Park along the south-southwest edge of the Lynnwood light rail station to Wilcox Park. The trail currently ends just north of 200th Street Southwest.

The goal is to increase the trail width to 10 to 12 feet with 2-foot shoulders and realign the trail for wider turns for bikes. Phase 3 construction begins on May 5.

Larsen said stakeholders of BIL can still bring ideas and comment on the BIL’s website by the end of April. “Then on May 1 through May 8, committee members will put their ideas, and then other members of the House [of Representatives] will have their progress in mind as well,” he said. “We’re not waiting for the Senate or the White House. We’re trying to build a momentum that has its own momentum.”