Transportation the Topic of Future Conference Call Between Wenatchee Officials, Members of Congress

City of Wenatchee leadership will be on a conference call later this month with Washington Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray as well as 8th District Representative Kim Schrier to discuss transportation funding.

Mayor Frank Kuntz said he hasn't heard anything yet in terms of dollar amounts at the federal level. Proposed transpiration projects like the Confluence Parkway will take a combination of federal and state dollars.

"What we learned from three times in Washington D.C. is the big money goes to state (departments of transportation). Unless the Washington State DoT says (Confluence Parkway) is their number one project its' hard for us to get a really big number. The $200 million number." Kuntz explained, "I'm guaranteeing you I don't think the state is going to think this is their number one project with West Seattle Bridge falling apart and other stuff going on."

Help is much more likely to come from Olympia, where a 16-year, $26 billion transportation package was introduced in January. According to Kuntz, Confluence Parkway is on a number of 'lists' in Olympia, and he would be shocked if a lot of Confluence Parkway isn't part of the package.

Kuntz added that city staff may have to decide whether to keep the complete Confluence Parkway package together and apply for more money at the federal level, or carve out a portion of the package, such as the McKittrick Street underpass, and hopefully the rest will come later.