Washington State Department of Transportation
[9] A combined state department of transportation was proposed in the mid-1960s and gained the support of Governor Dan Evans.The 2001 Nisqually earthquake damaged most state highways around the Seattle metropolitan area and most of the budget was turned over to the Puget Sound region to help rebuild and repair roads and bridges.[15][16] Since the beginning of the 21st century, WSDOT has been tasked with rebuilding and renovating aging portions of the highway system across the state.Several sections with poor conditions required emergency repairs in early 2023, including a large hole in an offramp to SR 99 in Seattle and broken concrete panels on I-5 in Everett and I-90 near Issaquah.[17] WSDOT has also been tasked with replacement of 437 fish barriers, mainly outdated culvert designs, in Western Washington to comply with a federal court order to restore salmon runs that are protected by Native American treaty rights.The last Secretary of Transportation was Lynn Peterson, who served until February 5, 2016, when her appointment under Governor Jay Inslee was rejected by the Washington State Senate during the confirmation process.[29][30] WSDOT has approximately 1,500 positions for winter operations, which includes snow plow crews for the major mountain passes crossed by state highways.[31] In the Snoqualmie Pass area, the agency has avalanche control crews that use an M60 tank, howitzers, and a mechanical tram carrying explosives to clear snow buildup before it endangers the highway.
Department of transportationState of WashingtonOlympiaWashingtonRoger MillarWashington State FerriesU.S. stategovernorstate highwaysstate ferriesstate airportsAlbert Meadpontoon bridgeLake WashingtonLacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge11 U.S. Routes entered Washington at the timeLake Washington Floating BridgeTacoma Narrows BridgePresidentDwight EisenhowerFederal Aid Highway Act of 1956Interstate Highway SystemOriginally, two Interstates entered Washingtonstate highways were renumberedcurrent systemMetro TransitThe North Cascades Highway (SR 20)HOV lanesSR 520Dan Evansrapid transitHood Canal BridgeMount St. HelenseruptedSR 504Hood Canal Replacement BridgeSound TransitAmtrakAmtrak Cascades2001 Nisqually earthquakeSeattle metropolitan areaPuget Soundfish barriersculvertsalmonOlympicNorthwestEasternKing CountySnohomish CountyWhatcomSkagitIslandSan JuanGovernor of Washingtonstate legislatureJay Insleesnow plowavalancheM60 tankhowitzersUnited StatesTravel WashingtonWalla WallaPort AngelesSeattleEllensburgWenatcheeTrailwaysKettle FallsSpokaneAlaskan Way ViaductSR 167HOT lanesEverettSR 526SR 527SR 529 SpurAlaskan Way Viaduct replacement tunnelEvergreen Point floating bridgeferry terminalsCrash barrierSR 704United States Department of TransportationState highways in WashingtonHistoryLinkWashington State Transportation CommissionTri-City HeraldThe ColumbianThe Spokesman-ReviewTopicsOutlineClimate changeMunicipalitiesCensus-designated placesFederal landsIndian reservationsGeographyEarthquakesHistoryHighwaysPeopleSymbolsAbortionCannabisCultureDemographicsEconomyAgricultureEducationGun lawsHomelessnessLGBT rightsGovernmentConstitutionGovernorsLegislatureLegislative districtsSenateBallot measuresCongressional delegationsCongressional districtsCity governmentsState agenciesArchaeology and Historic PreservationCommerce