WASHINGTON, USA — Over $1 billion of federal money will be invested in road and bridge improvements in Washington as well as expanding the state's electric vehicle charging network in 2024.
Congresswoman Suzan DelBene announced the numbers Tuesday for the upcoming fiscal year, totaling nearly $1.1 billion. The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) will be allocating the money for FY 2024, including $934 million for road repairs and improvements, $131 million to repair and rebuild bridges and $15 million to build more electric vehicle chargers.
Per the release from DelBene, an estimated 423 bridges and over 5,500 miles of highway are in poor condition across Washington state. Since the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was passed, $2.5 billion has been announced for transportation-related projects in Washington. $1.8 billion of that money already has been invested in highway formula funding over FY 2022 and 2023. Over $261 million was allocated to bridge repairs over the same time frame.
Washington is expected to receive more than $70 million for electric vehicle charging station development, with $25 million already having been invested by the federal government.
A "fact sheet" from the White House goes into detail on some of the specific projects being funded by this infrastructure legislation.
Other highlights from federal investments in the bill include millions for significant improvements at three airports in the state: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Spokane International Airport and Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport.
A $10 million investment in Kittitas County is for a fuels mitigation project to reduce wildfire risk in the area. A wildfire in August burned over 30,000 acres in Vantage, located near the eastern edge of the county.
The "Reconnecting South Park" project also was funded as part of the federal investments in the state. $1.6 million will go toward restructuring or removing portions of State Route 99 that runs through Seattle's South Park neighborhood.
The full detailed breakdown of all the money being allocated across Washington state can be found here.