The Washington state House has approved a transportation budget that would allocate $8.4 billion over the next two years.
Under the proposal passed Tuesday, the money would go toward maintenance and preservation of infrastructure and toward existing big-ticket projects like the State Route 520 floating bridge across Lake Washington and the Alaskan Way Viaduct tunnel replacement.
The vote was 68-28, with all but one Democrat voting in favor and Republicans split. The proposal heads next to the Senate.
Democratic Rep. Judy Clibborn of Mercer Island is the chairwoman of the House Transportation Committee. She also unveiled Tuesday a scaled-back transportation revenue package that would augment the budget proposal. Relying largely on a 10-cent hike in the gas tax, it would bring in an added $8.4 billion over 12 years.
