OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The Legislature has approved a bipartisan transportation budget and passed it on to the governor for final passage.
The $8.9 billion budget proposal for the 2011-2013 biennium includes $5.9 billion in capital projects and a 2.5 percent ferry rate hike.
It is also counting on passage of a bill to impose a 25-cent vessel capital surcharge on one-way fares to help finance a new 144-car vessel.
The compromise budget does not include $4 million in ferry service cuts, as originally proposed, but lawmakers hope to recover that money by passing a bill to increase certain driver’s license and vehicle fees.
Budget writers call their proposal a bridge to keep transportation projects going for the next two years, not a long-term solution, but say it still creates thousands of jobs.
