The 40th Legislative District contingent of Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-Orcas Island, and Reps. Jeff Morris, D-Mount Vernon, and Kristine Lytton, D-Anacortes, released the statement below regarding the on-going effort to repair the Skagit River Bridge while keeping commuters and commerce moving and supporting local businesses:

“The effort to repair the bridge while supporting local businesses has been a positive team effort. The cooperation between our local leaders, those of us at the state level and our federal delegation has been outstanding. “Sunday brought welcome news when Gov. Jay Inslee and our federal delegation announced a temporary solution that will reopen the bridge in the coming weeks. We are extremely fortunate to have Gov. Inslee, U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and Reps. Suzan DelBene and Rick Larsen in our corner.

“On the evening the bridge fell, your 40th district legislators remained on site with Gov. Inslee, Secretary of Transportation Lynn Peterson, State Patrol Chief John Batiste and local officials until nearly midnight, working with all involved to establish alternate travel routes and minimize the impact on businesses in the area.  “We have continued to provide detailed local information to the governor and his team regarding additional signage on detours, traffic control at key intersections and alternative forms of transportation such as the expansion of train service to the area from Seattle allowing commuters to take the train instead of driving to help relieve congestion.

“While our state Department of Transportation and federal partners have been focused on the temporary replacement, your 40th district legislators have turned our focus to supporting businesses in the areas impacted by the bridge collapse. In recent days we have reached out to numerous business leaders to offer support and listen to suggestions that will improve the situation. Gov. Inslee today announced several options for business affected by the collapse:

$150,000 is being released from the strategic reserve account to support economies in impacted areas.Businesses impacted by the collapse are encouraged to report economic losses to county emergency management officials. These businesses may qualify for a Small Business Administration Economic Injury Disaster Loan.The Department of Commerce is working with local partners in Skagit, Whatcom, Island and San Juan counties to launch a media campaign to make sure the public knows the region is open for business. “This has been and will continue to be a total team effort. We are working around the clock to keep life as normal as possible for the areas affected by the collapse. Most important, we are doing all we can to ensure that businesses aren’t negatively impacted while we work to get a new bridge in place.

“To further this dialogue and make sure each of you has the opportunity to share your ideas or questions, your 40th district legislators will host a telephone town hall open to all residents of the 40th district Wednesday, May 29, at 6 p.m. with State Secretary of Transportation Peterson. Our system will call residents of the 40th district, and you will have the opportunity to join in or decline the call at that time. However, if you do not receive a call and would like to participate or just listen in on the discussion, call (877) 229-8493 and then dial ID Code 19513. We welcome your participation, questions and input as we continue to work together to move us forward.”