Sen. Marko Liias (D-Edmonds), chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, issued the following statement regarding Gov. Bob Ferguson’s proposed supplemental transportation budget for the 2025–27 biennium:
“We cannot ignore that Washington’s infrastructure is aging. At least 10% of our bridges are more than 80 years old, thousands of miles of roads are overdue for paving, and five of our ferries are reaching the end of their lifespan. Preservation and maintenance are the two most important investments we can make right now in our transportation system, and I’m glad to see Gov. Ferguson’s supplemental budget prioritizes them.
“I’m excited the Governor is proposing the Preserve Washington fund, providing $3 Billion over 10 years dedicated to preservation and maintenance for our entire Transportation system. Funding for preservation and maintenance must be a long-term budget commitment, not a one-time decision. This work protects the infrastructure we all rely on and creates good-paying jobs for Washingtonians at a time when our economy needs a boost. And by continuing to invest in our ferry system, we’re building on the progress we’ve made to strengthen our fleet and ensure ferry-dependent communities have the safe, reliable service they need and deserve.
“I look forward to reviewing the governor’s priorities in detail with our transportation budget team. When we wrote the biennial transportation budget last session, I committed to delivering a bipartisan plan for Washingtonians, and I intend to stay on that same bipartisan path as we write the supplemental budget next year.”
