$8.5 billion state transportation budget goes to Gregoire

Published 10:31 pm Tuesday, March 9, 2010

OLYMPIA — The Legislature has passed an updated state transportation budget that lawmakers say will bankroll thousands of construction jobs.

The $8.5 billion transportation plan passed the Senate on a 37-11 vote Tuesday night, and now goes to Gov. Chris Gregoire for final approval.

The supplemental budget plan is about $1 billion more than last year’s biennial budget.

The increase comes mostly from federal money the state will use to pay for large projects, including a $590 million rail corridor between Oregon and British Columbia.

Some Republicans from southwestern Washington opposed the transportation plan, saying they don’t like its call to study the possibility of tolling I-5’s Columbia River crossing to pay for proposed new bridges.