OLYMPIA, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – As the state’s biennial budget proposal deadline looms, the governor is looking to increase transportation funding.

Gov. Bob Ferguson made the announcement for a proposed $2.1 billion investment in transportation on top of a billion dollars for ferries on Friday, Dec. 19.

“To be blunt, the state has neglected its core transportation infrastructure for too long,” Gov. Ferguson said.

He was referring to the state’s highways that have been greatly impacted from this month’s flooding, which the governor said only exasperated the ongoing problems.

Over a billion of those dollars will go towards specifically bridges, as a large portion of the bridges in Washington are aging to the point of potential failure.

“The typical life expectancy of a bridge is 80 years. 342 of our bridges are at that age or older. 80 of those bridges, 80 of the 342, are in what’s described as poor condition. That’s the lowest of three ratings that WSDOT uses to assess bridges,” the governor said. “When a bridge is rated poor, that means the bridge has serious deficiencies such as deterioration, cracking or even damage to its primary structure.”

Paving projects as well as investments in building more ferries are also included in this proposed budget ahead of the 2026 legislative session. The funding would be implemented over the next decade and represents a 34% increase in this particular aspect of the budget. According to Ferguson, the funding for this is coming from existing revenues passed in the 2025 legislative session.

The governor adds this would be the largest investment in preservation compared to any budget enacted in the last two decades.