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.
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