BIA/Viaduct/Heery

Tribes Plan Casino Construction Projects

La Center - The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has recommended to the U.S. Department of Interior that 152 acres of land owned by the Cowlitz Tribe be used for a casino.

This is a major victory for the Cowlitz Tribe who seeks to build a $510 million resort casino near La Center in Clark County, about 25 miles north of Portland. The casino will feature 3,000 slot machines, 153 gaming tables and 40 poker tables. The project includes an 8-story hotel with 250 rooms, three parking garages, a shopping center, bars, restaurants, and a convention center.

The Interior Department will issue a final decision on the BIA recommendation before the end of the year. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla announced plans to upgrade and expand its Wildhorse Resort & Casino located 4 miles east of Pendleton into a destination resort. Infrastructure work will begin this summer and completion is scheduled for summer of 2009.

Estimated Costs Developed For Viaduct Options

Seattle - The State of Washington, King County, and the City of Seattle have been working together to develop a solution for the Alaskan Way viaduct’s central waterfront section. Cost estimates have been developed for eight options now under consideration.

The eight scenarios include three surface options, two elevated options, and three below ground options on SR 99, as well as varying levels of investments in I- 5, surface streets, transit, and demand management. The cost estimates will be used to understand the affordability and benefits of the building blocks that were tested in the different scenarios.

The most promising building blocks from the eight scenarios will be combined into two or three revised scenarios in the next few weeks. Cost totals for the two to three hybrid scenarios will then be released. Gov. Chris Gregoire, King County Executive Ron Sims, and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels were expected to make a recommendation by the end of 2008.

Project Management Contract Goes to International Firm

Snohomish - Snohomish School District recently selected Heery International Inc. to provide project management servicesfor multiple school projects associat- ed with the district’s 2008-2012 construction program. Snohomish County voters passed a $262 million bond in May 2008 to fund several renovation and construction projects. Working in tandem with the district, Heery will complete the Snohomish High School renovation, expand Centennial Middle School, renovate and expand Valley View Middle School, replace Machias and Riverview Elementary and build a new aquatics center.

Light Rail Link Approved For University Station

Seattle - The University of Washington Board of Regents approved construction of the University of Washington Link light rail underground station and twin tunnels into the station. The agreement marks another important step before launching construction on the University Link light rail extension between UW and downtown Seattle. The Board of Regents’ news follows the Federal Transit Administration’s announcement last week of its intent to award a $813 million grant toward University Link construction. The FTA grant, currently under a 60-day Congressional review, could be executed in January. Sound Transit is in the final stages of preparing to break ground on University Link, a 3.15-mile underground line with stations at Capitol Hill and the University of Washington. It is an extension to the Link light rail line scheduled to open between downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac International Airport in 2009.

The university station will be located near Husky Stadium, the UW Medical Center and research facilities, and will provide easy access to the main campus. The $1.9 billion University Link extension is expected to open in 2016 and add more than 70,000 daily riders to the system. With the Sound Transit 2 package that voters approved on Nov. 4, annual light rail ridership is projected to total more than 86 million by 2030.

The balance of University Link funding comes from existing Sound Transit revenues, and was not part of the successful November ballot measure to fund Sound Transit 2.