Kilmer presses WSDOT to cut costs, find other money for bridge ceremony

OLYMPIA — If the state can’t build a new Narrows Bridge without charging tolls, then it can’t afford to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in tolls on an opening ceremony, Sen. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, said today.

Kilmer is insisting on the inclusion of language in this year’s transportation budget to require Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to keep bridge-opening costs to a minimum and to seek private contributions and partnerships to offset the costs of the opening.

“The bridge is an engineering marvel, and that’s worth commemorating,” Kilmer said. “But just as I have done since I got to Olympia, I will continue fighting for a fair deal for Narrows Bridge users. And in this instance, that means fighting to keep the costs of the opening down and ensuring bridge users aren’t forced to foot the bill.”

Officials at the WSDOT have budgeted up to $300,000 to cover the cost of security and other expenses related to a bridge-opening ceremony. Some recent proposals have included multiple ribbon cuttings with area officials and groups as well as providing public access to the bridge. Transportation officials say they expect the ceremony to cost closer to $100,000.

“We need to protect toll payers, and that means not spending transportation dollars or toll dollars on opening ceremonies,” Kilmer said. “We need to keep costs down, and we need to find other sources than transportation funds that, if anything, ought to be used to reduce the tolls.”

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