Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson unveiled a plan Dec. 19 to steer $3 billion into preserving the state’s roads and bridges and building three new ferries over the next decade.

Ferguson would raise the money through borrowing, with the sale of bonds backed by proceeds from a slew of new and increased taxes and fees lawmakers approved this year. This included an increase in the state’s gas tax.

As envisioned, there’d be roughly a billion dollars apiece for paving highways, painting and repairing bridges, and adding three vessels to the Washington State Ferries fleet.

Ferguson announced the proposed investments in a press conference Dec. 18 at a state Department of Transportation maintenance facility in Lacey.

“These investments are not going to fix every single aging bridge or address every road statewide, not close,” Ferguson said. “But the neglect we’ve seen over years means we have a big backlog.”

“Climbing any mountain starts with the first step,” he added. “That’s what we’re doing here.”

Here are a few things to know about the governor’s plan.

Concrete preservation

Transportation officials have repeatedly warned that state infrastructure is in the early stages of critical failure. The problem stems from a lack of money to keep up with repaving, repairing aging bridge spans and responding to emergency fixes.

It is estimated 40% of the state’s lane miles, about 7,900, were due or overdue for paving in 2024. Of those, 670 miles got paved. Of Washington’s 3,427 spans, 10% are more than 80 years old. 

Recent closures have underscored the consequences when routes are severed.

The Fairfax Bridge over the Carbon River, a gateway to Mount Rainier, has been permanently closed since April due to deterioration. The state transportation department is considering rebuilding a new bridge there, or tearing down the existing bridge and building nothing new.

Republican lawmakers plan to push a bill in the next legislative session to replace the bridge. Ferguson on Dec. 19 didn’t commit to a path forward for the future of the route.

The White River Bridge, connecting eastern King and Pierce counties, was closed for two months recently after an overheight truck significantly damaged it. Though this closure wasn’t due to deferred maintenance, Ferguson said it shows what happens when a vital link is out. The closure forced lengthy detours, inconveniencing residents and hurting businesses.  

State preservation dollars paid for the emergency repairs to reconnect the cities of Buckley and Enumclaw.

“Infrastructure means access, access to everything that we rely on in a day of instant demand,” Enumclaw Mayor-elect Anthony Wright said.

Ferguson also highlighted seven lane closures on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge between January 2024 and September of this year for repairs to the 75-year-old suspension bridge.

“They were closed last weekend because of old bridge joints making the bridge move too much, causing cracked pavement and other breaks,” he said. “We can expect more closures unless we replace those joints.”

Earlier this year, the Legislature approved a two-year $15.5 billion budget with $900 million for preservation. 

Ferguson’s funding plan, which would need to be approved by the Legislature, includes $1.1 billion dedicated to bridge preservation, $164 million for paving projects next summer and another $756 million for paving over the next decade.

Senate Transportation Committee Chair Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, applauded the governor’s proposal.

“We cannot ignore that Washington’s infrastructure is aging,” Liias said in a statement. “Funding for preservation and maintenance must be a long-term budget commitment, not a one-time decision.”

For the current budget, Ferguson would increase spending on preservation by $300 million.

“The deterioration that happens when we delay preservation work leads to costly construction or replacement, which can often be three, four, five times more expensive than if we’d simply timely resurfaced or rehabilitated structures,” the governor said.

New ferries, old ferries

Ferguson wants to keep the state on course to electrify its ferry fleet. The plan is to convert six existing vessels to hybrid-electric power, build 16 new plug-ins and add shore charging to 16 terminals — all by 2040.

Only one conversion is done. Neither new boats nor electrified terminals are expected to be operational before the end of the decade. Projects are taking longer and costing way more than expected, making the mid-century goal appear increasingly unattainable. 

In July, the state awarded a $715 million contract for up to three hybrid electric ferries to a Florida shipyard. Two vessels are locked in under the deal. The state must decide by next summer whether to exercise an option on the third. Money for that contract is already set aside.

Under the governor’s plan, most of the $1 billion that would be raised in the next decade would go to build three more vessels. There would also be money to maintain the existing fleet, including extending the service life of boats that are more than 60 years old.

“I certainly view our ferry system exactly like that bridge that connected those communities down there at Enumclaw and Buckley, so that’s why we’re going big on the ferry investment as well,” Ferguson said.

Flood response

Record flooding this month has wreaked havoc on the state’s transportation infrastructure.

Parts of U.S. 2, a major east-west crossing over the Cascades, could be closed for months due to washouts that have destroyed sections of the highway, Ferguson said this week. 

The state has signed an emergency 30-day, $800,000 contract to repair a 12-mile stretch over Stevens Pass, but the state doesn’t have a date set for reopening. 

This immediate work on U.S. 2 will focus on clearing debris, repairing drainage features and stabilizing the roadway to open this winter, but “it will not completely restore the road to as it was,” state transportation department spokesperson Lauren Loebsack said in an email Dec. 19.

“This will not be the final repairs and that will be a separate project possibly (in) Summer 2026,” Loebsack wrote.

Emergency repairs on parts of the east side of U.S. 2 are also in development, according to state transportation officials.

Several other highways also need major repairs due to the recent flooding and storms. 

It’ll take time to understand the full scope of that road damage. 

“This is a 10-year plan, and the storm was just this last month,” said state Transportation Secretary Julie Meredith. 

A bill filed Dec. 20 would use state carbon auction proceeds to cover costs of repairing damaged infrastructure. If climate change was a factor in the severity of the storms, then it is appropriate to use Climate Commitment Act funds to respond, said state Rep. Andrew Barkis, R-Olympia, the top Republican on the House Transportation Committee.

In the coming weeks, the state will be seeking a major disaster declaration from the federal government to unlock federal recovery funding for individuals, local governments and the state.

Paying the bill

The new initiatives won’t require tax hikes, Ferguson emphasized. The state funding will come from bonds repaid with revenue streams the Legislature passed last session.

Despite handwringing over a shortfall in the state’s operating budget, Ferguson called the transportation budget “healthy.”

Incurring new debt in this manner will not be an easy sell in the Legislature, where a supermajority of 60% is required to pass a bond bill.

Lawmakers were adamant earlier this year that the new and higher taxes they passed were needed to cope with budget pressures from flagging gas tax revenues and soaring construction costs on projects.

In the same session, the Senate passed a bill authorizing up to $7 billion in bonds for highway projects and improvements, and potentially ferries. It lapsed in the House without a hearing.

“We are in a fiscally constrained situation,” said Rep. Jake Fey, D-Tacoma, chair of the House Transportation Committee. “He’s right about two of the areas that need to get addressed: ferries and preservation and maintenance. I’m excited about having a conversation about that with him.”

Barkis said he’s opposed to the added borrowing.

“We do have the capacity, but it’s not the right thing to do,” he said. “I think he’s going to have trouble getting it through the Legislature.”

What’s next

On Dec. 22, the governor will release his supplemental funding proposal for the operating budget. That blueprint, along with ones for capital and transportation spending, will serve as a template for lawmakers when they begin their 60-day session Jan. 12. The funding will build upon the two-year budgets Ferguson signed earlier this year that took effect July 1.

All three documents will be posted on the Office of Financial Management website and online at fiscal.wa.gov.

This story is republished from the Washington State Standard, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news outlet that provides original reporting, analysis and commentary on Washington state government and politics.