“Move Ahead Washington,” the long-awaited transportation funding package, was released last week by the House and Senate Democrats. The package (SB 5974) would spend $16.8 billion over 16 years, prioritizing state preservations and maintenance, transit, fulfilling outstanding Connecting Washington projects, and investing in the electrification of the state’s ferry system. The proposal is sponsored by Sen. Marko Liias and Rep. Jake Fey, chairs of the Senate and House Transportation Committees.

Funding for the package will largely come from anticipated federal dollars from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), a one-time $2 billion transfer from the general fund, $5.4 billion from the Climate Commitment Act, and hikes in vehicle-related fees. While the bill makes no increase to the gas tax, it does rely on a six-cent tax on fuel exports, estimated to bring in $2 billion.

In addition to newly contemplated revenues, the proposal includes the following for cities:

• An increase from a one-cent to two-cent voter-approved border fuel tax (indexed by inflation);
• An additional 2% councilmanic utility tax on natural gas, steam energy, or telephone utilities;
• An additional .1% increase to TBD sales tax through councilmanic authority;
• Expanded authority of traffic cameras in park, school, and hospital zones;
• Additional investments in Safe Routes to School grant program; and
• Additional investments in TIB’s Complete Streets grant program.

Significant investments were made into state preservation and maintenance needs; however, investments at the local level are minimal. AWC strongly believes that robust funding for preservation and maintenance at the local level guarantees the expansion and support of the state’s entire transportation system, including transit, bike/pedestrian access, and other multimodal options. Ensuring that both state and local transportation systems are equitably funded is essential for constituents to seamlessly transition from state highways to local roads.

While we appreciate the supports for cities included in the proposal, we will continue to seek investments in local preservation and maintenance, including additional funding for the Transportation Improvement Board. We encourage cities to do the same. Contact your legislators and remind them that cities will need to spend $20-$28 billion to maintain and improve our transportation assets of the next ten years. Make sure to share this infographic illustrating the state of transportation in cities.

See the full list of the Move Ahead Washington spending plan.

Dates to remember

SB 5974 is expected to be heard on the Senate floor on Wednesday, February 16. HB 2119, the companion bill, will be heard in the House Transportation Committee on Thursday, February 17 at 3:30 pm.