Highway plan puts projects back on schedule

OLYMPIA — Legislative transportation leaders on Friday unveiled a $7.5 billion highway budget plan for Washington that would get hundreds of road projects back on schedule and cover huge cost overruns.

The two-year spending proposal identifies much of the money needed to build a new Highway 520 floating bridge across Lake Washington and provides $915 million for initial work on a replacement for the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Both are considered at risk of failing in a big earthquake.

Those two megaprojects are among the 432 road and bridge projects that would get a big boost from the new budget. The plan covers nearly $2 billion in cost overruns — mostly the soaring cost of material — that had threatened to derail or delay a number of projects.

The package includes about $3 billion in new construction over the next two years, about half in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties.

The Senate planned to approve the measure today and send it to the House for its approval. Gov. Christine Gregoire is expected to sign the deal.

The plan accelerates some major road projects and restores the original timeline for road and bridge projects that were promised when lawmakers approved gas-tax increases.

The Legislature increased the tax by a nickel a gallon four years ago and, with the voters agreeing, adopted a four-step, 9 ½-cent increase two years ago.

The state tax is now at 34 cents a gallon and rises 2 cents in July, with a final 1.5 cents one year later.

Most negotiators were delighted with the budget, calling it a major accomplishment simply to get the original 16-year project list back on track.

"It is truly about jobs and moving the state forward," said Senate Transportation Chairwoman Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island.

Senate Republican transportation leader Dan Swecker of Rochester, Thurston County, and his House counterpart, Fred Jarrett of Mercer Island, said they had hoped for a stronger mandate for the Department of Transportation to use more efficient and cost-effective methods to stretch dollars further.

Besides the viaduct and floating bridge, the proposal includes freeway improvements, new connector roads, safety improvements, four new ferries, freight rail and road projects, car-pool lanes, and passenger rail and other non-highway approaches to moving goods and people.

A look at highlights:

• Seattle, King County and the state will try to negotiate a replacement plan for the quake-damaged viaduct. The budget includes $915 million to get started on work needed regardless of the design that is chosen.

• The plan identifies as much as $4.1 billion for a new Highway 520 bridge that could cost $4.3 billion. This would include $560 million in state money, $310 million in federal dollars, $1.1 billion from regional taxes, $1.2 billion in expected tolls, and heavy use of a $1 billion pool of money that is set aside exclusively for the viaduct and bridge.

• Gregoire had proposed sliding the schedule for some projects, but the new budget would keep them on track and even accelerates 17 projects that are ready to go. The latter include stretches of Interstate 5, I-90, I-405, and Highways 9, 20, 539, 395, and 167. The $470 million replacement of the eastern half of the Hood Canal Bridge also would be accelerated.

• The plan would allow a scheduled 2.5 percent fare increase to proceed in May, but then freeze fares until September 2009. Fares rose 6 percent last year. The budget would freeze eight terminal projects for two years while a study is conducted.