State releases draft freight system plan

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) released its updated investment plan for the freight formula dollars included in the federal FAST Act. The “Fix America’s Surface Transportation Act,” or FAST Act, is the most recent federal authorization to provide Highway Trust Funding to the states. It is a five-year act covering Federal Fiscal Years (FFY) 2016-2020. New in this version of the act is formula funding through the new National Highway Freight Program, which provides $107.9 million for Washington State over the five years of the FAST Act. The first FFY allocation for Washington was $19.7 million. Those dollars went directly to the WSDOT for preservation projects. The Legislature chose to enlist the Washington Freight Advisory Committee (WAFAC) to participate with WSDOT in developing a prioritized project list for the disbursement of the remaining funds.

The WAFAC met through the summer of 2016 to develop a list. Based on those recommendations, the 2017 Legislature asked WSDOT to validate the project list. WSDOT’s validation process resulted in a reprioritized list of projects for funding in 2018. It also set up a system to prioritize projects for future funding. There is roughly $24 million left for projects.

The WSDOT presented its plan to the WAFAC on October 6 and plans to finalize the list sometime in late October.

View the WSDOT’s planning materials here.