(The Center Square) – A King County program to maintain roads and bridges in unincorporated areas could be dismantled by 2029, creating a situation where the county cannot fix old and deteriorating infrastructure.
King County Department of Local Services Director Leon Richardson and Road Services Division Director Tricia Davis informed the King County Transportation District on Monday that transportation needs continue to outpace available resources for a road and bridge system in decline.
For 2025, the King County Department of Local Services’ roads and permitting work was appropriated $210.8 million. Nevertheless, rising construction costs are driving up the cost of maintaining road conditions, according to Davis.
The King County Roads fund, which supports road and bridge maintenance in unincorporated areas, draws revenue from property taxes limited by a 1% cap established by state law, and gas taxes, which have been declining due to the rise of electric vehicles.
“The fund is stressed – it is continuously moving in a negative direction and we are in a situation where if no action is taken we’re going to continue to evaluate what services we are going to stop doing,” Richardson said during Monday’s transportation district meeting.
Davis cited a 2014 estimate that the local services department has an annual funding gap of more than $200 million a year. The county’s 2024 transportation needs forecast also estimates that there is nearly $2.5 billion in infrastructure needs over the next 20 years.
Davis told district committee members that the situation is approaching a crisis point.
“Now we are at that point where if we don’t have a new funding source, we’re going to start making dramatic cuts and reductions in our program,” she said.
The shutdown of the roads program would create a situation in which infrastructure that is well beyond the end of its designed life would remain, creating potentially hazardous conditions for drivers. In unincorporated King County, 49 bridges are considered outdated and there is an overall increased risk exposure to drivers across the road network. Officials also worry about extreme weather events impact on roads in terms of flooding and landslides.
“There’s 250,000 people that live in unincorporated King County; that’s 11% of our population. The number one thing we need to do is take care of our safety,” King County Councilmember Sarah Perry said.
Fellow Councilmember Claudia Balducci said she wants to see an analysis of what is at stake if a 10 cent sales tax increase is not established to generate more revenue for the roads fund. The county is currently facing a $150 million budget gap.
“It is a difficult year to be asked for another sales tax increase for something unless I can really point to it and say ‘If we don’t do this now, here’s the downside,’” Balducci said.
