OLYMPIA— Gov. Jay Inslee issued the following statement today thanking legislators for funding several priority transportation improvements, including the congestion relief actions he announced last month for Interstate 405 and incident response teams along Interstate 5. I-405 express toll lane improvements include new auxiliary lanes and hard running shoulders at key chokepoints, improved customer service and elimination of tolls on nights, weekends and holidays.
The supplemental transportation budget approved by strong bipartisan votes includes these improvements:
- An 87-car stand-by ferry to better ensure reliability.
- A 5 percent salary increase for state troopers to keep their compensation more competitive.
- New funding for the Department of Licensing to handle a greater workload and demand for enhanced driver’s licenses and IDs.
- $113 million of funding to boost fish passage and barrier removal.
“We’ve made tremendous strides in the past two years to fund critical safety, maintenance and congestion relief projects all across our state, Inslee said. “The historic transportation package we passed last year, combined with these new improvements, demonstrate a bipartisan commitment to providing Washington’s commuters and businesses with safe, reliable transportation and transit options. These new investments help preserve our great quality of life and grow our economy.
“I appreciate legislators working together so we can alleviate congestion along places such as I-405 and I-5, improve the reliability of our ferry system and begin addressing some of our recruitment and retention challenges for state troopers.”