A strategic part of Ballard’s economy will continue its historical operation as U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash) announced the full restoration of funding for operation at the Ballard Locks in 2006, last Friday afternoon.

The Locks were threatened with severe budget and operation cuts in 2006 amounting to $2.1 million. Maritime industry leaders, including Ballard Oil and Kvichak Marine Industries, began lobbying Sen. Murray for her help to restore the full $6.5 million needed to keep the Locks operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

With only 60 percent of the operating costs being initially funded by the federal government, the maritime industry was looking at reduced Locks operation hours which would have led to delays in shipments, choosing alternative mooring locations and possible cutbacks in staffing at the Locks.

The Ballard Locks,” said Murray at the press conference on Friday “are critical to the economic viability and quality of life for this region, whether you are in the commercial fishing industry, involved with manufacturing products that require the Lock’s use, or use them for recreational activity.”

Though a victory for the marine industry, the restoration of the Locks funds is only a given in 2006. The primary question remains of what will be done to alter the measurements used to determine the Locks funding, which in 2006 was gauged by commercial tonnage passing through the Locks. Commercial tonnage is much smaller at the Ballard Locks in comparison to other Army Corps managed locks, according to Colonel Debra Lewis, who heads up the Army Corp of Engineers’ Seattle District. Commercial tonnage is generally how locks are ranked in terms of budget importance.

Lewis stressed that factors such as the impact on the local economy must also be included as measurements throughout the determination of the 2007 budget to avoid any funding cut in coming years.

By amending the current measurement system used to rank funding allocations to federal projects to include the economic viability of the area, the dependency of emergency crews to access the Locks operations, as well as the economic value that fisherman spend in Seattle; full funding for the 2007 budget will remain secured, officials explained.

Another transportation corridor potentially affecting Ballard is access to and funding of the aging Alaskan Way Viaduct, which acts as a critical corridor for transporting goods from Ballard’s maritime industry to South Seattle for export.

Recently re-elected Mayor Greg Nickels was also in attendance last Friday and made a brief speech at the Locks stating the next challenge for the city of Seattle will be ensuring the continued growth of Ballard during the reconstruction of the Viaduct.

“It is a huge challenge,” Nickels said “and we can’t underestimate the impact that construction will have on the area,” he said.

Nickels pledge to ease the burden on Ballard’s maritime industry by finding alternate routes for commercial lines and making the additional time added to the transporting trips to South Seattle minimal.

The mayor supports replacing the viaduct with a tunnel. Washington State Department of Transportation planners say such a tunnel would cost about $4 billion. The other alternative, building a new viaduct, would cost $3 billion according to state officials.