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Area leaders urge restoration of Highway 18 safety funding after rise in fatalities and incidents
Summary
City and emergency responders told the committee that safety upgrades to Highway 18 should not be delayed; several speakers cited dramatic increases in fatalities and incidents along the corridor and said delay will continue to put lives at risk.
Local officials, emergency responders and business groups told the House Transportation Committee that delaying the Highway 18 improvements will increase fatalities and impair emergency response along a corridor that connects Interstate 90 and Interstate 5.
“We must act now,” Fire Chief Ben Lane of Eastside Fire and Rescue said, recounting his department’s responses to fatal crashes on an unimproved 7.5‑mile stretch of Highway 18. Lane said the corridor’s narrow lanes, poor lighting and low visibility pose ongoing risks to motorists and first responders and urged restoration of project funding.
Regan Boley of Covington, Catherine Ross of the City of Snoqualmie and other members of the Southeast Area Legislative Transportation Coalition told the committee that the corridor has seen sharp increases in incidents and fatalities and that funding delays would continue to put lives at risk. Boley cited a 600% increase in fatalities in the project area over a recent five‑year comparison and asked the committee to treat the corridor as a safety priority.
Testimony emphasized that the project will add a divided barrier, modernize sightlines and install safety improvements that speakers said will prevent head‑on collisions and reduce emergency burdens.
Why it matters: multiple public‑safety witnesses and local officials framed the Highway 18 project as a lifesaving investment; they asked the committee to restore funding in the substitute budget rather than move the work beyond the six‑year horizon.
