The Spokesman-Review reports that a major transportation plan to be unveiled today in Olympia will propose a 2-cent-per-year increase in the state’s gasoline tax. The budget plan, from House Transportation Committee Chairman Judy Clibborn, D-Mercer Island, will divide the money between new projects and maintenance and eventually raise the state’s gas tax by a total of 10 cents.
Gov. Jay Inslee, who has said he wants a transportation package that would build new projects and fix some of its crumbling infrastructure, declined to endorse it Tuesday, saying only it is “a good start on that discussion.”
House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, called the plan a major jobs package and said the plan would set aside significant amounts for maintenance. Previous gasoline tax packages have been criticized as emphasizing new projects and not leaving enough for ongoing road repairs.