The Associated Press
OLYMPIA — Gov. Chris Gregoire has approved a $7.5 billion transportation budget that includes money for new ferries, statewide road paving and some financing to replace the aging Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle.
Many of the road projects included in the budget signed Wednesday will begin this summer and are part of a plan to spend about $5 billion on construction that is expected to create 49,000 jobs.
Using a combination of federal stimulus money and revenue from the state’s gas tax, the budget provides money for more than 400 projects statewide.
The budget includes money for the multiyear replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle, replacing the state Highway 520 floating bridge across Lake Washington and new ferry construction.
