Senator Murray Announces Nearly $900 Million in Funding for Safer, More Resilient Roads in Washington State

(Washington, D.C.) – Today U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) announced that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is providing $898,099,090 million in funding to Washington state under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The $898,099,090 million in apportioned funding for Fiscal Year 2022 represents an increase of more than 20% as compared to Fiscal Year 2021 for just Federal-aid Highway Program apportionments. This funding is distributed annually by FHWA for the Federal-aid Highway Program based on a statutory formula contained in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law represents a historic generational investment in our infrastructure and this newly announced funding will get goods to where they need to go and people where they need to be. Washington state families deserve safe roads and reliable commutes—this money will both tackle our state’s infrastructure crisis and help create good paying jobs. This funding will also specifically allow us to finally take the threat of the climate crisis into account as we build roads and highways. It’s good to know Washington state communities can count on federal dollars that will improve the daily lives and commutes of millions of people who just want to get to where they need to go.” 

Today’s announced funding will help reduce the backlog of major repairs for highways and bridges and increase the number of communities that have strategies to reduce traffic deaths and serious injuries. Washington state will receive $898,099,090 million for federal highways and more specifically:

• $487,224,663 via the National Highway Performance Program
• $237,028,214 via the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program
• $50,828,528 via the Highway Safety Improvement Program
• $4,418,093 via the Railway-Highway Crossings Program
• $40,262,733 for congestion mitigation and air quality improvement
• $9,659,520 for metropolitan planning
• $23,510,296 via the National Highway Freight Program
• $21,135,016 via the Carbon Reduction Program
• $24,032,027 via the PROTECT Formula Program to invest in climate resilience for transportation projects.

Additional funding will be announced in the coming weeks and months that will help repair Washington state’s bridges, reconnect communities by removing portions of interstates and redesigning rural main streets, and help create electric vehicle charging stations across Washington state.

“Providing states with information on their apportioned funds today is an important first step in using the resources provided in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to make transportation systems across the country safer and more resilient,” said Deputy Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack. “We look forward to working with transportation agencies and the communities they serve to use these resources to build a better America.”

Federal-aid Highway Program funds are authorized periodically by Congress in multi-year laws to assist the States in providing for construction, reconstruction, and improvement of highways and bridges on eligible Federal-aid routes and for other special purpose programs and projects. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law establishes or continues FHWA programs and authorizes funding for those programs from the Highway Trust Fund.

As the first step, FHWA is distributing these funds through a process known as an apportionment, using a statutory formula to determine the amount available to each State. In addition to the apportionment of funding, FHWA will issue obligation limitation, which allows States to commit a portion of their apportioned funding, for the period through February 18, 2022, when the current Continuing Resolution for Federal Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations ends. 

Obligation limitation represents the ability of a State or other entity to enter into a project using Federal funds, with the Federal government making a binding promise to pay or reimburse the State or other entity for the Federal share of the project’s eligible costs. 

Specifics on benefits and funds being made available by USDOT to Washington state can be found here.

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