Committee told 2025–27 transportation plan balanced but fuel use decline and revenue restrictions cloud outlook

The Washington Senate Transportation Committee heard a budget and revenue briefing on Oct. 16 from committee budget coordinator Haley Gamble and staff forecaster Brian (first name only), who said the adopted 2025–27 transportation spending plan is balanced but faces medium‑term uncertainty due to lower motor‑fuel consumption and shifting revenue sources.

Gamble, the committee’s budget coordinator, told senators the adopted 2025–27 expenditures total $15.5 billion and that the Washington State Department of Transportation accounts for the largest share — about $11.9 billion. She said program-level decisions preserved highway preservation funding at $900 million for 2025–27 and added targeted amounts for culverts ($125 million in the current biennium and $1 billion over the planned delivery timeframe) and local preservation (a $50 million addition in the current biennium).

“The pie chart shows how that’s broken out by transportation agency,” Gamble said, listing the State Patrol, Department of Licensing, the Transportation Improvement Board and others as…