Washington and Oregon will focus on replacing I-5's twin Columbia River bridges with a new freeway bridge ready to carry light rail to Downtown Vancouver, Governor Bob Ferguson announced Wednesday. The project is still facing a budget gap that could stretch into the billions.
The $350 million contract with Hoffman Construction, expected to be approved later this month, sets up a major piece of Sound Transit's system expansion puzzle. "OMF South" will be the agency's third train base.
The pressure to invest in degrading state highways pushed legislators to turn to $1.3 billion in bonding, a move necessary due to so many dollars being tied up in highway expansion projects like the North Spokane Corridor and the Puget Sound Gateway.
State lawmakers declined to unlock a financial tool that Sound Transit sought to get through a coming financial crunch, and approved a tax package that is expected to bring the agency a big revenue hit.
Thanks to newly revealed cost-saving measures, the cost to bring rail to Alaska Junction is now just $700 million to $1.1 billion over the amount baked into Sound Transit's financial plan, a major change compared to where things stood just 18 months ago.
The proposed $410 million levy is around 50% higher than the 2019 library levy, adjusted for inflation. With a focus on maintaining hours and modestly expanding services, the package doesn't include many big ticket items.
Washington's Court of Appeals will decide whether the legislature left a major loophole in place when it passed recent laws to prevent zoning changes that increase housing capacity in cities from being mired in lengthy legal appeals.
2026 had been an opportunity to get Seattle and King County on the same page when it came to sustainable, long-term funding for Metro. But King County leaders are signaling they need more time.
Ferry advocates had been hoping that expanded authority to create passenger ferry districts could allow them to supplement state ferry service in more areas. But changes to the bill in the state Senate could significantly undermine that goal.
After House transportation chair Jake Fey blocked a bill giving Sound Transit’s authority to issue longer-term bonds up to 75 years in length, the sponsor in the state Senate amended the provision into a different bill that remains alive, giving the effort a new lease on life.