Transportation

Savings and Efficiencies

Senate Democrats recognize that we need to get as much value out of our transportation dollars as possible, and the proposed transportation budget includes operational savings and efficiencies that will help:

• Capture and implement line-by-line savings from the Governor-directed freezes (saves $15 million)
• Requires the Department of Transportation to realign its regional offices and reduce the number of employees accordingly (ESSB 5682, saves $6.7 million)
• Authorizes the Department of Licensing to close seven identified licensing service offices resulting in cost savings.

Fortunately, transportation revenue and investment packages authorized by the Legislature in 2003 and 2005, and endorsed by citizens via the initiative process, are peaking at the very time when public investment in infrastructure is needed to bolster the sagging economy. Construction cost inflation pressures experienced over the last three years have also moderated, resulting in a number of recent project bids coming in below engineers' estimates.

The weak economy, in combination with a competitive bid environment, presents a unique opportunity to maintain planned, unprecedented levels of transportation spending in the 2009-11 biennium as a means to help jump start the economy and create jobs.

To help accomplish this goal, the 2009-11 Senate Transportation Committee budget assumes issuance of 30 year bonds to leverage forward investments in transportation infrastructure.

Extending the term of transportation bonds from 25 to 30 years also better aligns with the useful life of the assets being built.

The result is over $4.3 billion in transportation project investments in the Senate Transportation Committee budget. Over 400 projects are funded and scheduled to move forward.

For more details on Savings and Efficiencies, please refer to the Highilghts document.