The Highway 529 and 116th Street interchange projects in Marysville are part of the transportation package passed in the state Senate Feb. 12.

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring was pleased.

“It’s a huge thing for our community,” he said.

Even though it’s just the first step in the process, Nehring is optimistic.

“Momentum is on our side,” he said.

The mayor said he didn’t want to celebrate too early because there’s a lot of work yet to be done.

“But we’ve never been this close,” he said.

Nehring said earlier this week that if the state funds the Highway 529 project it would get done quicker. If it’s funded federally, it may have to be done in stages.

The project would end the bottleneck that often occurs around Fourth Street off of Interstate 5 because its on- and off-ramps would avoid the train tracks that often tie up traffic.

“We will keep pressing forward,” he said.

The projects are included in a $15.1 billion transportation package. The proposal spans 16 years and would be funded primarily with an 11.7-cent increase in the gas tax.

The proposal spends $8.2 billion on roughly 100 road projects, a new 144-car ferry and additional bus services for commuters and the disabled.

It includes $545 million for transportation improvements in Snohomish County. There’s $145 million for building a new bridge on Highway 9 over the Snohomish River and $17 million for safety improvements on U.S. 2.