Transportation

Some legislators are calling for action in the wake of a federal report on the apparent sabotage of an oil train north of Bellingham last year. That train derailed and caught fire after it split apart, then slammed into itself. A Federal Railroad Administration investigation published last week found that the train’s brakes and couplers had apparently been tampered with. Democratic Congresswoman Suzan DelBene says she’s demanding answers from BNSF Railway. “This impacts all of our communities w... Read more

Dear friend, As we begin rebuilding our economy and middle class after the pandemic, I am fighting for critical infrastructure projects in our community that will make our day-to-day lives easier and create good-paying jobs. This week, the House took an important step towards reimagining our nation’s roads, bridges, rail, transit, and water infrastructure by passing the INVEST in America Act and sending it to the Senate. This package would invest over $715 billion over five years into long-over... Read more

Dear friend, Our state has 416 bridges and over 5,400 miles of highway that are in poor condition. This is indicative of a larger infrastructure crisis around the country with crumbling roads, bridges, airports, and railways. We rely on these structures every day to commute to work, get our kids to school, and live our lives. This is unacceptable and it is time for Congress to make a historic investment in our infrastructure that will help get Americans back to work and rebuild our local econom... Read more

Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene announced the start of an infrastructure tour of the first congressional district to get a firsthand look at local projects that could help drive economic growth and support good-paying jobs in the region. She plans to visit project sites across the first congressional district over the next year. The first three stops of DelBene’s tour will occur this Wednesday in Snohomish and King counties. “There are many roads, rails, bridges and tunnels across Washington ... Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), and Representatives Rick Larsen (D-WA), Derek Kilmer (D-WA), Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Adam Smith (D-WA), Denny Heck (D-WA), Dave Reichert (R-WA), and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) sent a letter to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator David Pekoske requesting five temporary passenger screening canine team... Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) joined Reps. Suzan DelBene, Pramila Jayapal, Adam Smith, Rick Larsen, Dave Reichert, Denny Heck, and Derek Kilmer in a letter to the Trump Administration, urging it to use U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ funding to restore and modernize the Lake Washington Ship Canal and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Seattle, more commonly known as the Ballard Locks. The Locks are not only important to public safety and the enviro... Read more

Dear Friend, This week is National Infrastructure Week. Across the nation, our infrastructure is facing a breaking point. An efficient and functioning infrastructure system is critical to the economy of the Washington's First District. Next Tuesday, we’ll mark the four-year anniversary of the Skagit Bridge collapse. We saw first-hand the impact this had on our local economy. It’s time to prioritize investments that put people back to work fixing our crumbling infrastructure, before it becomes ev... Read more

Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Reps. Rick Larsen (WA-02), Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA-03), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), and Derek Kilmer (WA-06) sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Office of Management and Budget to request funding to fulfill critical dredging and maintenance needs at six small ports and harbors in Washington state. Ports and harbors, crucial economic drivers in communities throughout Washington state, require regular upkeep. The Ports of... Read more

Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Representatives Jim McDermott (WA-07), Adam Smith (WA-09), Rick Larsen (WA-02), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Denny Heck (WA-10), and Derek Kilmer (WA-06) applauded the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) announcement that Alaska Airlines has been selected as a tentative awardee to provide service between the United States and Havana, Cuba. The flight would originate in Seattle and operate same plane service through Los Ange... Read more

This week, members of the Washington Delegation, Reps. Dave Reichert, Jim McDermott, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Denny Heck, Suzan DelBene and Adam Smith introduced H.R. 5417, the bipartisan Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund Reform Act, which would ensure the annual funds collected through the Harbor Maintenance Tax (HMT) are used to support our ports and strengthen our region’s global competitiveness. Members of the Washington Delegation released the following statement after introducing the bill. ... Read more