Rantz: Are Democrats stealing Republican I-405 fixes?

Seattle area commuters may be watching Olympia a bit more closely this session as lawmakers consider changes to the controversial I-405 express toll lanes &#8212 but the road to those changes may have turned out a little bumpy.

Republican Mark Harmsworth of Mill Creek is the state representative for the 44th Legislative District which has a portion of I-405 running through it. He has experienced the woes of I-405 drivers since the express toll lanes were implemented in September 2015. Therefore, he crafted a bill to fix issues on the road &#8212 a bill he touted as having bi-partisan support.

Related: Did WSDOT take away a lane on I-405?

That bill, however, was halted by the House Transportation Committee, led by Democrat State Representative Judy Clibborn. In its place, House Democrats decided to write a letter to the Washington State Department of Transportation, requesting many of the same changes. Harmsworth’s bill
had a few other fixes, such as removing one of the express toll lanes and rededicating it back to a general purpose lane.

The move leftKIRO Radio’s Jason Rantz curious. Did I-405 become a battleground between Republicans and Democrats? After all, a bi-partisan supported bill was passed up, and replaced with a letter signed only by Democrats.

“I don’t think we need to politicize this with partisanship,” said Washington State Representative Luis Moscoso. “I’m not sure how the letter was taken around. I certainly signed it and I believe it.”

“I’d ask Representative Harmsworth why he didn’t wait to write a letter with me, that he offered to do back in October, before he ran his bill,” he said. “And why did he come to my district to have a press conference on this?”

Related: WSDOT admits toll lanes made traffic worse

Moscoso of Bothell represents the 1st Legislative District. He is among a handful of Democrats who signed the letter to WSDOTasking the department to make a few changes in lieu of legislation.

Moscoso said that he believes the letter will get faster results.

“Although there is other legislation proposed, I’m getting a lot of mixed signals from constituents who’ve contacted me. They all want change, they all want different kinds of change,” he told Rantz. “I think arguments and reasonable discussion over any legislation would take more time than letting DOT get down to business.”

The letter from Washington House Democrats states that despite the improved drive times on I-405, they request that certain changes be made. Among them:

• Eliminate tolls during evening non-peak hours, weekends, and holidays (this was in Harmsworth’s bill)
• Improve billing system and customer service
• Add clarifying signage and striping to eliminate confusion along I-405
• Adjust access points and striping around the express toll lanes (this is already being done)

The committee would like WSDOT to report back within six months to comment on how the changes effected traffic. If changes end up taking a long time, then Democrats would like WSDOT to propose projects for changes during the next budget process. If changes do take longer than the current session, Moscoso said he would consider legislation during the following session to get things done.

Rantz pressed Moscoso to ask his Democratic colleagues if any Republicans were asked to sign the letter &#8212 to get bi-partisan support, such as the House bill and its companion Senate bill had.

“It seems like it’s being politicized if Republicans, who were the ones who were behind the legislative fixes, weren’t brought into the process or signed the letter. Is it a fair request for you to ask your colleagues if they reached out to Republicans?”

“No, I don’t think that is a fair request,” Moscoso responded. “I think that is just going to continue the politicking, and I got too much to do with making sure my constituents know that I am working for them regardless of my party affiliation. And I’m watching DOT keenly because our district is hurting the most.”

Harmsworth told the Jason Rantz Show that, to his knowledge, Republicans were left out of the Democrats letter and recommendations.

“I did know about the letter and I don’t believe any Republicans were asked to participate in signing the letter,” Harmsworth said. “The change that was proposed in the letter is exactly what we’ve had in the bill all along.”

Harmsworth said that while the letter is nice, it doesn’t give WSDOT the authority to make any changes. That authority comes from the legislature and actions such as his bill.

“What we really need to see is the bill pass so DOT has clear instructions,” he said.