The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) could be forced to make different decisions on how it spends its lackluster budget to maintain the state’s aging roads and bridges. WSDOT has estimated there will be an $11 billion budget shortfall over the next decade. The eye-watering figure is due to nearly 60 percent of the state’s lane miles being due or past due for maintenance.
High-ranking WSDOT officers have warned the Washington State Legislature for years about the funding deficits with the pleas never really being answered, according to KIRO. In the state’s 16-year, $3 billion “Move Ahead Washington” plan, only $750 million was set aside for maintenance. The sum is nowhere close to the $11 billion per year needed for the next 10 years.
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