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WSDOT secretary warns preservation backlog leaves bridges, ferries and rest areas vulnerable
Summary
WSDOT Secretary Julie Meredith told the commission that decades of underfunding have left Washington’s transportation assets — bridges, ferries and rest areas — in urgent need of preservation and that the governor’s supplemental budget is a “down payment” on a large backlog. She cited December flood emergency repairs and plans to press the legislature for more preservation funding.
Julie Meredith, secretary of the Washington State Department of Transportation, told the Washington State Transportation Commission that the agency faces a large and costly preservation backlog and will press state leaders for more funding. "After decades of underfunding preservation of our transportation system, the system is not in the condition we here at WSDOT or the public would like," Meredith said.
Meredith said WSDOT employs roughly 7,700 people and works across all modes — highways, ferries, transit, aviation and rail — but that aging assets are straining available resources. She highlighted a cluster of bridge incidents since August and last winter’s flooding as examples of how deferred preservation can compound emergencies and increase short‑term costs. "The quick response was the result of our emergency planning and training," she said, thanking crews for around‑the‑clock recovery work following December storms.
On specific projects, Meredith noted work on the long‑needed Vantage Bridge on I‑90 (construction began in 2024 and is scheduled through 2028) and the Revive I‑5 surfacing program in Seattle, which paused for the World Cup and will resume afterwards. She also flagged the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program as a complex, multi‑jurisdictional mega‑program that will require organizational and financial adjustments as it moves toward construction.
Meredith said the governor’s supplemental budget would prioritize preservation — including a proposal the governor described as a down payment on the maintenance backlog — and called for a long‑term approach to return the system to a state of good repair. She added that WSDOT has executed contracts for three new ferry vessels, completed a hybrid‑electric ferry conversion and is advancing shore‑side electrification at key terminals.
Commissioners asked about the effect of emergency repair spending on already‑constrained preservation funds; Meredith confirmed the pressure and called the governor’s budget a start. Several commissioners praised local programs that deliver federal aid and urged continued coordination with local governments and transit partners.
Next steps: WSDOT staff said they will continue to brief the commission as the legislature acts on supplemental and capital proposals and as mega‑program decision points arise.
