Well, it’s a start. The state Senate has proposed a $15 billion transportation package to make it easier for Washingtonians to get around and transport goods and services. In other words, they have proposed a plan for investing $15 billion in the state’s economy, recognizing that crumbling infrastructure has very real consequences when it comes to jobs.
And that’s a start. After two years of failing to pass a transportation package and get Washington moving again, lawmakers have acknowledged the need for progress and have proposed raising the state gas tax 11.7 cents per gallon over the next three years. But, as they move forward, there are several other issues that must be addressed. First, they should wonder why Clark County is routinely treated as the runt of the litter when it comes to transportation projects. Then, obviously, they must get the plan through the Senate and through the House and through either Gov. Jay Inslee or the voters. We would recommend sending the idea to voters, the ones who will be paying the bill for the increased gas tax.
The first issue is somewhat one of our own making. When the state considered funding for the Columbia River Crossing in 2013, Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver, and Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, were instrumental in killing the proposal. As Inslee noted last year, “I’m the guy who tried to spend $1 billion in your community, and you wouldn’t take it.” But that doesn’t mean the community is bereft of other transportation needs. The proposed transportation package specifies $166 million in expenditures for Clark County projects — or 1.1 percent of $15 billion. For a county that has more than 6 percent of the state’s population, that would appear to be inadequate, and it should be noted that little of the proposed revenue has not been earmarked for specific projects. While Benton and Rivers might have acted in what they thought was their constituents’ best interests when they scuttled the CRC, they also have an obligation to work for the county to receive its fair share of transportation funding.
As far as transforming the proposal from an idea into law, legislators have picked an optimum time to attempt to raise the gas tax. With Washington being particularly dependent upon trade, and therefore the transportation of goods, and with gas prices at their lowest level in a decade, and with the economy improving, the public is likely to be more receptive to a gas-tax increase than it would have been in recent years. And it should be. One study, after all, suggests that without an investment in maintenance, 60 percent of the state’s roads will fall into the category of “poor or very poor” in the next decade.
