Transportation Secretary Buttigieg coming to Seattle this week

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will visit Seattle and Wenatchee this week, the Transportation Department announced Monday.

Buttigieg will be in Washington state this Thursday and Friday to highlight investments in local infrastructure. The funds were part of President Biden’s Infrastructure Law.

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Often referred to as “Mayor Pete,” he was the top executive in South Bend, Indiana, from 2012 to 2020. Buttigieg grew to prominence as a democratic candidate for president in the 2020 campaign. He won the Iowa caucuses and placed a close second in the New Hampshire primary. Buttigieg is a graduate of Harvard and the University of Oxford and a military veteran. At 38, he is the youngest Cabinet member of the Biden administration and the youngest person ever to serve as Transportation Secretary.

The state was awarded several projects as part of the $7.5 billion infrastructure law. The money will be awarded over the next five years.

“Learning about these projects and providing the funding to help make them a reality is one of the best parts of serving in this role,” Buttigieg told The Washington Post.

The Department of Transportation did not announce any public appearances for Buttigieg, but in a news release, they said more details will follow.

In Wenatchee, Mayor Frank Kuntz is pushing for what is called the Confluence Parkway project, which would lead to the construction of a second bridge across the Wenatchee River.

In Seattle, the funds would be spent to assist in an array of transportation projects in an effort to relieve some of the continuing traffic problems in the Puget Sound area.