Roads

34% of Washington's major urban roads are congested. 28% of Washington's major roads are in poor or mediocre condition. Vehicle travel on Washington's highways increased 23% from 1990 to 2003. Washington's population grew 26% between 1990 and 2003. Driving on roads in need of repair costs Washington motorists $838 million a year in extra vehicle repairs and operating costs --- $198 per motorist. Congestion in the Seattle metropolitan area costs commuters $820 per person per year in excess fuel and lost time. Congestion in the Spokane area costs commuters $166 per person per year in excess fuel and lost time.

Bridges

26% of Washington's bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.

Dams

There are 31 state-determined deficient dams in Washington. Washington has 140 high hazard dams. A high hazard dam is defined as a dam whose failure would cause a loss of life and significant property damage. The rehabilitation cost for Washington's most critical dams is estimated at $75.9 million.

Drinking Water

Washington's drinking water infrastructure need is $4 billion over the next 20 years.

Wastewater

Washington has $2.74 billion in wastewater infrastructure needs.

Solid Waste

Washington generates 1.43 tons of solid waste per capita. Washington recycles 34.1% of the state's solid waste.

Schools

60% of Washington's schools have at least one inadequate building feature. 74% of Washington's schools have at least one unsatisfactory environmental condition.

Engineer Anecdotes

"Purdy Bridge is grossly functionally obsolete and deteriorating but isn't even programmed for a future replacement. Many neighborhoods around me need sewer extensions because of the increased density but there is no planning for this." - a civil engineer from Gig Harbor, WA


From the Headlines

Members of the Seattle business community presented leaders witht a grim report that said the city has a maintenance backlog of $500 million that would grow by roughly $50 million a year unless Seattle found new sources of transportation revenue. The 12-member transportation-advisory committee was hand-picked by the City Council and Mayor Greg Nickels in November. The group recommended several solutions, including a local property-tax increase, to address what its chairman Darryl Smith called "dire" and "scary" problems. Seattle's maintenance backlog stands at $500 million. To reduce the backlog would require about $40 million to $50 million in additional funding each year over the next 20 years. Seattle Times 5/26/04

The cost of cleaning Seattle Public Schools' contaminated water could cost $6.3 million to $9 million, but where the money will come from hasn't yet been determined. Estimates do not include the costs of testing water and replacing fixtures in restrooms ($1.2 million), complying with iron standards in every location ($4 million) or reducing the standard for lead from the EPA limit of 20 parts per billion to 10 parts per billion. A drinking water policy being considered by the School Board would require that school drinking water meet EPA limits for lead, copper and cadmium, and Seattle Public Utilities standards for iron, zinc, turbidity and color. It may also be necessary to scale back or delay school construction projects to address a projected capital budget shortfall between now and 2012. The district's Building Excellence I program, which would include building or renovating 19 schools, is expected to finish $11.2 million in the red. Administrators forecast an additional $2.4 million shortfall for Building Excellence II. Seattle Post-Intelligencer 9/28/04

Before school started this fall, Mount Vernon High School administrators gave brightly colored T-shirts to the 17 teachers who work in the portable classrooms that sit on what once was the student parking lot. "Welcome to Pebble Beach," the shirts read. Pebble Beach is a bit of a misnomer. The four rows of 17 portables look more like a grid of worn-down, summer-camp bunkers than a peaceful beach scene with palm trees and lapping waves. Skagit County students, teachers and parents are becoming increasingly familiar with portable classrooms. Altogether, the county's school districts have at least 81 portables. No one wants more portables, but enrollments are rising. Adding new schools isn't the easy answer - it requires persuading the community to vote for tens of millions of dollars in bond money. The immediate solution, then, is to add portables. But, while they are billed as temporary student housing, portables tend to become a permanent part of school campuses. Sedro- Woolley has the oldest portables in the county - some have been in place since the 1960s. Shayla Lanz, 15, said she doesn't like the portables because they are either too hot or too cold, and because of the long walk between her classes. Plus, she said, "they're really small. And there's no bathroom." In fact, toilets are available for the portables. To the far corner of the lot is a short row of portable toilets. Seattle Post Intelligencer 10/26/04





Sources

Survey of the state's civil engineers conducted in December 2004

TRIP Fact Sheets, February 2005

Texas Transportation Institute, 2004 Urban Mobility Report

Government Performance Project, Grading the States 2004

The State of Garbage in America, Biocycle Magazine 2004

Condition of America's Public Schools, 1999

EPA Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey, 2001

EPA Clean Water Needs Survey, 2000

Association of State Dam Safety Officials