House committee advances discussion of $1.1 billion transportation supplemental, prioritizes preservation and maintenance
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Summary
Committee staff presented a proposed substitute to House Bill 2306 that increases the biennial transportation budget by about $1.1 billion to roughly $16.5 billion, emphasizing reappropriations, preservation, maintenance and targeted rail and transit projects; public testimony favored dredging, rail improvements and student transit pilots.
Committee staff and stakeholders on Feb. 23 outlined a proposed substitute to House Bill 2306, a transportation supplemental for the 2026 biennium, highlighting a cautious approach that prioritizes preservation and maintenance over new bonding and large new capital commitments.
Amy Skate, committee staff, told the House Transportation Committee that “the underlying budget provides a total of $15.5 billion for transportation” and that “the budget before you increases that by $1.1 billion to a total of $16.5 billion,” a change the substitute achieves largely through reappropriations of underspent capital project funds and a mix of limited new spending. Skate said the substitute “does not rely on new bond authority” and instead uses existing bond capacity and cash balances to avoid adding borrowing in an uncertain revenue environment.
The substitute would add roughly $780 million in reappropriations for capital projects, $300 million in new preservation funding and $35 million for maintenance, Skate explained. It also directs funding for targeted projects and programs: $12 million for rail capital projects aimed at reducing Amtrak Cascades trip times, $12 million for King County Metro to help mitigate congestion tied to I‑5 construction, $5 million for sidewalks and midblock crossings on State Route 7 near Spanaway, and $2 million to install EV chargers at Department of Natural Resources regional administrative facilities. The substitute provides $500,000 to the Joint Transportation Committee to convene a work group on a long‑range ferry vessel and asset management plan rather than funding new ferry vessels immediately.
Skate also identified a $3.3 million pilot proviso to provide affordable transit access to community and technical college students (to be administered by King County Metro and Kitsap Transit) and $7.5 million for Columbia River dredging‑related property acquisition and infrastructure, among other line items. She described a resource‑smoothing policy intended to time funding for local projects to when those projects will be delivered, addressing recurring underspends at the local level.
Members of the committee praised staff and emphasized caution. Representative Barkas said the package reflects a collaborative process and stressed that, because revenues tied to fuel consumption have declined and some large projects remain in bidding, the committee should be cautious about committing new long‑term bonding now.
During public testimony, port, transit and environmental advocates praised preservation and targeted investments. Ryan Hart of the Port of Vancouver USA thanked the committee for dredging support, saying the Columbia River “moves about $31 billion in cargo annually and supports more than 40,000 local jobs.” Arvia Morris of Climate Rail Alliance and Tim Gould highlighted rail investments to reduce freight‑passenger conflicts and improve Amtrak Cascades on‑time performance. Transit advocates asked the committee to preserve and direct funding to electrification and local mobility grants.
The committee closed the public hearing on the proposed substitute for HB 2306 and plans to consider amendments in an executive session scheduled for Wednesday. No formal votes on the bill were recorded at the Feb. 23 meeting.