Even if you take the bus, the train or bike to work, the gridlock on I-405, I-167 and I-5 affects decisions we make every day. Countless working moms and dads get up at 5 in the morning in order to get their kids to child care and be at work on time.
We can do better.
This year, we worked with Republicans, Democrats and people from around Washington state to unite behind a $16.1 billion transportation package.
It’s not the normal transportation plan that we pass every two years. This is a big deal, with 100,000 new jobs over the next 16 years to tackle traffic hotspots and another 100,000 possible jobs if voters approve another round of Sound Transit construction.
There’s more in this than extra funding for highways, which is the most expensive possible option. It invests in choices like trains, buses, bicycles and walking paths, because we know not every can—or wants to—drive to work.
- $1 billion for transit, bicycle, and pedestrian projects – a record high investment by the state in multimodal transportation.
- $638 million to help cities and counties with local transportation projects.
- $602 million to improve reliability and efficiency on the Washington State Ferries.
Locally, the biggest transit project is the RapidRide expansion of Burien-Delridge, a $19.26 million project.
Better transit agency coordination
We also passed legislation that will save money and create a more integrated public transportation system by encouraging transit agencies in different communities to work together. House Bill 1842 also law revamps the process for awarding Regional Mobility Grants to help support and encourage this coordination.