Highway System Plan

Highways are an essential part of our society and touch everyone – both positively and negatively. Over half of the miles traveled by vehicles in Washington are on state highways. Commuters travel the state highways to reach jobs, schools and services. Truckers use state highways to move goods. The state highway network supports successful businesses and healthy communities — and good planning helps keep the wheels turning on these facilities. The Highway System Plan (PDF 19.6 MB) makes realistic program funding recommendations in preservation, maintenance, and the capacity and operational improvement of the highway system for 20 years.

Our recommendation

There is not enough funding available to adequately fund all the needs of our system. Therefore, the Washington State Department of Transportation recommends – based on broad public engagement – that new revenue for state highways over the next 20 years be dedicated to:

1. First fund operations maintenance, capital preservation and critical programs such as required fish passage projects and support programs.
2. Then for any remaining funds, $2 should be spent on safety and efficiency strategies for every $1 spent on highway expansion projects. 

Keeping the existing system open depends on two programs that work together. Preservation in the capital budget addresses large fixes. Maintenance from the operations budget keeps the roads open through more than two dozen separate activities.

This recommendation provides for a resilient state highway system that is:

• Sound: All bridges and highways remain open and are maintained in working condition.
• Safe: Fewer crashes by providing safer spaces for all modes.
• Smart:
  • Healthier environment. Removal of fish passage barriers, fewer vehicle miles traveled, and decreased greenhouse gas emissions.
  • More equitable outcomes. Agency investments and policy decisions that are equitable and inclusive.
  • More walking, bicycling, and rolling. Closure of most active transportation gaps on, next to, and across highways.
  • More travel options. Reduction of commute trips by coordinating with cities, employers, and transit to add or support more modes and travel options.
  • Smoother transportation operations. More effective handling of crashes, information, and low-cost solutions.

To arrive at these recommendations, we connected with community members around the state to learn how the system is working for them and what types of investments they would like to see. While individual views and specific feedback varied, the themes and key takeaways were consistent in all engagement methods.

Across all the regions and demographic groups that we engaged with, people expressed strong support for preservation and maintenance funding. People also stated a preference for strategies that increase safety and efficiency for the existing system, while still funding some highway expansion.

Helping our partners

Our planning partners are critical to implementing a highway system that is sound, safe and smart. The Highway System Plan helps our partners by:

• Describing the effects of underfunding operations maintenance and capital preservation.
• Sharing WSDOT agency policy and direction.
• Using a common language for communicating priorities and strategies.
• Planning investments that fit within our expected income and show how we can grow within our means.

Learn more

Scenario planning informs decision-makers and helps them navigate the uncertainty of the future. The Highway System Plan used a scenario planning approach to explore difficult tradeoffs, increase awareness of funding level performance differences, identify preferred funding and performance levels, and develop a future investment recommendation. Contact us to learn more about our scenario planning approach.

WSDOT incorporated equity throughout the Highway System Plan process. Learn more from our HSP Equity Approach (PDF 879 KB) summary.

Previous editions of the HSP can be found at the State Library of Washington.