After an intense court challenge and 18 months of anticipation, proponents of Federal Way's new transit center and state-of-the-art HOV exit welcome its first carpoolers to the city's downtown core.

The new off-ramp, the Washington State Department of Transportation said, will help alleviate traffic backups that have plagued Federal Way drivers and transit buses forced into the long line of commuters using the 320th Street exit off I-5.

HOV vehicles can bypass the bottleneck with a left-hand exit at the new 317th Street interchange and circle through the new roundabout that keeps traffic flowing freely into the city. Once commuters access 317th, signs guide them across 23rd Avenue South to Sound Transit's new, 1,200-vehicle capacity, five story parking facility to shop downtown or catch a bus to Seattle or Tacoma.

The center alone carries a price tag of $39.4 million, which includes the funds to purchase the new clock tower carved in the shape of giant piece of timber.

"These new facilities establish Federal Way as one of the most important transit hubs in our system," said Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg, who serves on the Sound Transit board. "Federal Way is (now) the major transfer point between Seattle and Tacoma."

Several prominent political figures took liberties in pointing out the benefits of Federal Way's new infrastructure in ribbon-cutting ceremony February 3.

"This project addressed both regional and local needs," said King County Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer, who represents Federal Way and serves on the Sound Transit board. "There are new parking spaces where commuters can leave their cars and hop on any of the more than 700 buses that will serve this transit center each weekday."

Sound Transit plans to introduce a new line to list of routes that will utilize the new transit center. The ST 577 will offer Federal Way commuters an express to Seattle. Metro and Pierce Transit buses that serve Federal Way will dock at the 317th Street facility as well.

"At the same time," von Reichbauer added, "the new HOV Access Ramp will ease the pressure on Federal Way's busiest thoroughfare - South 320th Street."

His statements echoed those of the WSDOT, which predicts a significant reduction in transit times and traffic once buses and carpoolers exit left out of the existing HOV lanes instead of merging through four lanes of traffic to access the 320th Street interchange.

U.S. Representative Adam Smith and U.S. Senator Patty Murray, who also attended the site dedication earlier this month, conveyed their hopes of alleviating what they called "some of the worst traffic in the country." The two said they had worked to secure federal funds to help pay for the project.

WSDOT reports that the construction of the 317th Street exit cost taxpayers $44.5 million, with $32.6 million supplied by Sound Transit. The U.S. Department of Transportation, along with the city of Federal Way, Pierce Transit and King County Metro supplied a portion of the $11.9 million balance.

"It is especially gratifying for me to see tangible results of all of our work in the other Washington," Congressman Smith said.

With the dry weather expected in Federal Way at the end of last week, construction crews indicated they intend to allow the first waves of traffic on the new ramp by February 11. A break in the weather will allow workers to paint the lane lines that will guide motorists to the exit.

But commuters shouldn't expect to see the army construction vehicles and safety orange tape to disappear from Federal Way just yet.

While not fully completed, the 317th exit and transit center comprise just a part of the massive refurbishing the WSDOT has planned for south King County.

For at least another 12 months, I-5 commuters must tolerate continued slow downs as the department works to extend HOV lanes south to the Pierce County line.

The two-year project costs $53.6 million, with $52.3 million covered by revenues from the 2003 state gas tax.