This from The News Tribune: The Interstate 5 bottleneck near Joint Base Lewis-McChord is drawing the attention of state legislators as city and state officials clamor for improvements along the key commuter and freight corridor.

Both the House and Senate transportation committees were given briefings from the Washington State Department of Transportation this week on the 11-mile segment between the Thurston-Pierce county line and the junction with state Route 512.

"We're going to be hearing a lot about this," said Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, at the conclusion of Monday's work session. She chairs the Senate Transportation Committee.

The early legislative meetings are the latest reaction to a fact that has become painfully obvious to drivers of that stretch of freeway: It is at least a decade beyond its design life, and is straining during peak commuting hours to accommodate increasing traffic volumes.

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