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WSDOT is requesting $1.060 billion more for 2023–25—not including additional funding for culverts

The Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has requested $1.060 billion from all funds for the 2024 supplemental. That would be an increase of 10.4% over enacted 2023–25 appropriations for the agency. However, the supplemental request does not include the estimated additional $725 million that could be needed for fish passage barrier removal in 2023–25. Additionally, the […]

The cost of removing fish passage barriers could double, which would substantially impact the transportation budget

The Seattle Times has a troubling report on new estimates of the cost of removing fish passage barriers in Washington. In 2013, a federal court issued a permanent injunction requiring “the state to significantly increase the effort for removing state-owned culverts that block habitat for salmon and steelhead by 2030.” Since then, the state has […]

New report: The Transportation Budget, Transportation Revenues, and Long-Term Funding Challenges

Washington enacted a $17 billion, 16-year transportation revenue package last year, and this year the Legislature adopted a $13.616 billion transportation budget for 2023–25. Adjusted for inflation, 2023–25 appropriations are 18.8% higher than appropriations in 2021–23. Transportation budgets are mainly funded by state sources. State funds include forecasted revenues from transportation-related sources and money raised […]

Transportation revenue forecast is not much changed since March

Last week state agencies presented the September transportation revenue forecast. The transportation revenue forecast includes the gas tax, vehicle and driver fees, tolls, ferry fares, the 0.3% vehicle sales and use tax, the rental car tax, and other transportation-related sources. The forecast does not include revenues from the carbon emission allowance auctions. For 2023–25, the […]

State transportation revenues are estimated to track closely to what had been estimated in Feb. 2022, but they are still below pre-pandemic estimates

On Monday, the Transportation Revenue Forecast Council adopted a new transportation revenue forecast. (The documents were posted yesterday afternoon.) Under the forecast, the state is estimated to collect $6.598 billion in transportation revenues in 2021–23 and $7.046 billion in 2023–25. Looking at the 10-year forecast window, the March 2023 forecast estimates that transportation revenues will […]

The transportation revenue forecast would be more transparent under a proposal to move responsibility for it to the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council

On Monday, the Senate Transportation Committee heard ESHB 1838, which was passed unanimously by the House earlier this month. The bill would move responsibility for the transportation revenue forecast from transportation agency staff to the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council (ERFC). This would substantially improve transparency. Under current law, the Office of Financial Management (OFM) […]

Transportation budget’s exported fuel tax replaced with annual transfers from the general fund and public works assistance account

The transportation package that was proposed in February would have increased transportation revenues by $16.801 billion over 16 years. That included $2.053 billion in revenues from a new tax on exported fuel. The exported fuel tax provision was later stripped by the House. The conference report for the transportation budget would increase revenues by $16.988 […]

State transportation revenues are now estimated to be higher than expected last March

The Senate passed ESSB 5974, the transportation revenue package, earlier this week. I wrote about the bill as proposed here. Notably, before passage the bill was amended to remove the provision allowing cities to impose a 2% tax on the privilege of conducting a telephone business (the tax would still be allowed for natural gas […]

Proposed transportation package would use carbon allowance auction proceeds and state operating funds, increase fees, and impose a new exported fuel tax

Yesterday the chairs of the Senate and House transportation committees proposed a transportation package that would provide $16.801 billion over 16 years (FY 2023 through FY 2038). SB 5974 (the revenue bill) is scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Transportation tomorrow. (SB 5975 is the spending bill. Summaries and project lists are […]

Gov. Inslee’s 2022 supplemental transportation budget proposal would increase total budgeted transportation funds by 5.1% and shift federal and state funds into transportation accounts

The governor’s proposed supplemental transportation budget would increase appropriations from all funds by $610.7 million. Revised 2021–23 appropriations would total $12.549 billion, a 5.1% increase over the enacted biennial budget. Of the increase, state funds account for $356.9 million and federal funds account for $234.7 million. The enacted 2021–23 biennial budget had appropriated $400.0 million […]