New US 2 Interchange Opens on North Spokane Corridor This Week
A new US 2 interchange opens Wednesday, Nov. 16, on the North Spokane Corridor (NSC) just north of Spokane. "Now drivers can make a smoother, safer transition between these two major highways," said Regional Administrator Keith Metcalf of the Washington State Department of Transportation. "We're another step closer to getting the northern five miles of the NSC fully built."
Contractor crews working for the WSDOT built five new vehicle bridges and one pedestrian-bicycle bridge along the NSC, and built a new 30-foot arch culvert at Deadman Creek beneath US 2. The new culvert creates a better stream for fish and a safer crossing for resident deer, elk and moose.
A brief ceremony is planned for 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16, to celebrate the major milestone. The event will be held on the new ramp that connects southbound US 2 to the southbound NSC. (The event can only be accessed from the southbound US 2 to southbound NSC ramp.)
We hope you can all make it and help us celebrate this next step of progress for the North Spokane Corridor.
Senate Approves 3 Percent Repeal by 95 to 0; House to Vote Again
On Nov. 10, the U.S. Senate passed H.R. 674, a bill to repeal the 3 percent withholding law after amending it slightly. AGC supports repeal of this onerous mandate. The U.S. House of Representatives may vote on the amended bill as early as next week.
H.R. 674 passed by a vote of 95 to 0, with one Senator voting "Present." During debate, the Senate voted to amend the bill with provisions to encourage employers to hire unemployed veterans and to require a study of tax compliance by federal contractors. The Senate did not consider any amendments to continue to apply withholding to delinquent taxpayers that Senate Majority Leader Reid contemplated the week of Oct. 31.
"An overwhelming, bipartisan majority of Senators understand that repealing the 3 percent tax withholding mandate is essential to boosting economic growth. With construction activity down by $400 billion and the industry's unemployment rate at 13.7 percent, the last thing construction employers need is to be forced into giving interest-free loans to the federal government. That is why today's Senate vote comes as welcome news for construction firms, workers and taxpayers alike. As our members made clear in a recently released survey, many firms will be better able to offer positions to the veterans this legislation also supports without the enormous cost of this measure looming." Said Stephen E. Sandherr, chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America.
The bill now goes back to the House - currently in recess until next week - for its concurrence or further amendment. If the House approves the Senate-passed bill as currently written, it will then go to the President for his signature. The President has stated his support for both H.R. 674 and the veteran employment package.
The House first passed H.R. 674 by a vote of 405 to 16 on Oct. 27.
Use the tools at AGC's Legislative Action Center to send a letter to your Representative to vote for H.R. 674 as passed by the Senate when it returns from recess next week.
New Law Affecting Coal Tar Pavement Products
Washington State has passed a new law that will affect pavement contractors and those who manufacture, sell, and distribute pavement products.
RCW 70.295, passed in 2011, prohibits the sale and application of coal tar pavement sealants in Washington State. Studies have identified coal tar sealant as a potentially important source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Under the law, a retailer may not sell coal tar pavement products after January 1, 2012, and no person may apply a coal tar pavement product on a driveway or parking area after July 1, 2013.
For more information on the new law, contact the Washington State Department of Ecology - Reducing Toxic Threats Initiative at (360) 407-6786.
