Roads and bridges maintenance
Washington has hundreds of aging or poor-condition bridges and long underfunding of transportation preservation. The 2026 session featured a major multi-year proposal for road and bridge maintenance and preservation without a new tax increase in the governor’s framing, raising questions about long-term infrastructure priorities and funding levels.
How much should Washington prioritize funding to fix aging roads and bridges?
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How important is this to you?
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Sources
Governor Bob Ferguson — https://governor.wa.gov/news/2026/governor-ferguson-comment-2026-legislative-session
In my budget, I proposed $1.5 billion for maintenance and preservation of our roads and bridges over the next six years, without raising taxes. I appreciate the Legislature adopting that historic level of funding. The need is urgent — in Washington state, 342 bridges are 80 years or older, the typical lifespan for a bridge. We have 212 bridges in poor condition — meaning they have serious deficiencies such as deterioration, cracking or even damage to the primary structure.
NASBO — https://www.nasbo.org/mainsite/resources/proposed-enacted-budgets/washington-budget
The governor’s supplemental budget for fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2027 calls for investing in strategic priorities including housing, transportation, and addressing affordability, as described below.
Positions on this issue · liberal → conservative
- Greatly expand multimodal and green transit funding alongside aggressive bridge repair
- Commit historic state dollars to fix deficient roads and bridges as an urgent priority
- Fund steady preservation work at current levels while studying longer-term needs
- Focus only on the worst bridges and reduce other transportation program growth
- Minimize state transportation spending and shift more costs to users and local governments