Senate Unveils Bipartisan Transportation Budget for Washington to Keep Projects Going
The Washington State Senate released its 2025-27 transportation budget. The budget includes two bipartisan proposals charting different funding paths for the state’s transportation system.
One of the proposals postpones projects and reduces state agency operating costs to close the $1 billion shortfall in the 2025-2027 budget. The other includes a revenue and spending package to account for the budget gap and keep Washington moving ahead.
According to the Washington Senators’ website, The all-cuts proposal reduces the capital project budget by $941 million and state agency operating costs by $156 million. These reductions would delay dozens of construction projects like the North Spokane Corridor and new hybrid electric ferries, as well as affect operations at the Washington State Department of Transportation, state patrol, and Department of Licensing.
“Responsible spending is our top priority, and we’re always looking for ways to maximize the transportation dollars we already get. But we can’t simply cut our way out of the budget crisis we’re in,” said Sen. Marko Liias (D-Edmonds), chair of the Senate Transportation Committee. “A barebones, all-cuts budget is unacceptable when we’ve made promises to Washingtonians. We need to finish projects, preserve our infrastructure, and make our roads safer — Democrats and Republicans agree we can only do that if our budget includes new revenue.”