WSDOT issues grim warning for Washington roads on ‘glide path to failure’

The Washington State Department of Transportation says it’s only getting half the funding it needs to preserve and fix our roads.

According to WSDOT, it’s facing an estimated $11 billion budget shortfall over the next decade. Officials point to a giant pothole on the West Seattle Bridge last May and recent speed reductions on the SR 529 steamboat bridge as the results of the constant underfunding.

Their warning for drivers: This is likely to only get worse if nothing is done.

“Nobody is able to make a measurable difference, so I’m left feeling frustrated, I’m left feeling deflated, and ‘I don’t have solutions’ is what I’m hearing,” said Washington State Transportation Commissioner Kelly Fukai.

This is part of what had WSDOT head Roger Millar warning that Washington’s roads are on “a glide path to failure” earlier this year after Gov. Inslee signed the state’s transportation budget.

Millar has been vocal for years about the state’s lack of funds to address its roads.

This week, WSDOT Deputy Secretary for Community and Economic Development Amy Scarton echoed those sentiments in a presentation on the condition of Washington’s roads.

“The legislature will signal that they’re getting the message, and they even moved preservation to be one of their top priorities, and yet when it came time to put the money where the policy is, we at WSDOT were less than enthused that we didn’t see those numbers go up,” she said.

Scarton presented a grim outlook, asserting that nearly 60% of Washington’s lane miles are either due or past due for maintenance. It’s a similar situation for our bridges as well. Although 16 need to be replaced while 36 are in need of “major rehabilitation,” just four are scheduled for replacement.

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