SB972 – Appropriates the additional revenue for transportation from SB5971.
Prime Sponsor – Senator Hobbs (D; 44th District; Lake Stevens)
Current status – Referred to the Senate Committee on Transportation. Had a hearing there February 28th. Substitute bill passed out of committee to Rules March 7th 2019. Still in committee by the end of the 2019 session. Reintroduced and retained in present status in 2020 session; referred to Transportation.
Next step would be – Scheduling a hearing.
Legislative tracking page for the bill.
(SB5970 authorizes $5 billion in bonds to fund the Forward Washington projects, backed by the additional revenue SB5971 would raise for that account.)
Comments –
The substitute states that up to $290 million is expected from the bonds authorized by SB5970 during this biennium, and makes appropriations for debt service. It reduces the appropriation for grid upgrades from $50 million to $45 million, and removes the statement about intending to fund the Chelan LINK transit facilities over time. It appropriates $3 million for vanpools from the Forward Flexible account rather than from the multi-modal transportation account.
Summary – Appropriations (from the new revenue only) for the 2019-2021 Biennium
From the new Forward Washington account:
DOT Facilities Maintenance, Operations, and Construction – $2 million
DOT Highway Maintenance – $50 million
DOT Traffic Operations – $5 million
DOT Planning, Data and Research – $0.1 million for Columbia River bridge governance study
Highway improvements projects as listed in the LEAP Plan – $770.6 million (including $350 million for culvert replacement to support salmon and $50 million for storm water improvements).
Highway preservation projects as listed in the LEAP Plan – $100 million
Ferry construction – $160 million
Local projects as listed in the LEAP Plan – $23.6 million
Freight Mobility Investment Account – $2.5 million
Rural Arterial Trust Account – $3.5 million
Transportation Improvement Account – $9 million
County Arterial Preservation Account $3.5 million
Total = $1.3 billion (or $950 million without the culvert replacements for fish passage).
From the new Forward Flexible account:
Grant program for special needs transportation – $20 million
Transit coordination grants – $0.5 million
Bus and bus facility grants – $30 million
Transportation demand management – $4.5 million
Transportation grid electrification grants – $50 million
Complete Streets program – $9 million
Rail capital projects as listed in the LEAP Plan – $15 million
Washington Ports grants program – $10 million
Safe routes to schools – $6 million
Pedestrian and bike safety programs – $16.5 million
Freight Mobility Multimodal account – $2.5 million
Rural Mobility Grant Program – $11 million
Alternative fuel tax credits – $5 million
Distribution to cities and counties for transportation purposes – $37.5 million
Total = $220 million (or something slightly over $182 million if you figure that most of the city and county money will also go to road construction and repair, like the money in the Forward Washington account.)
The bill also designates the US 2 Trestle replacement; replacing the I-5 Bridge over the Columbia River replacement; fish passage barrier removal projects; the Hood River Bridge replacement; the Bridge of the Gods replacement; and all future bridges over the Columbia River that connect Washington with Oregon as projects of statewide significance under SB5847, which had a hearing in the committee February 19th. Those projects are estimated to cost at least $1 billon each; if SB5847 passes, it would have DOT appoint a project coordinator and assemble a dedicated team to expedite the planning and construction of each project.