Washington cities, counties, ports and private-sector employers outline $222 billion in needed investment leading to as many as 777,000 new jobs
OLYMPIA – Washington state is ready to invest in critical infrastructure.
A new report released today by a coalition of Washington state organizations representing cities, counties, ports and private-sector employers outlines more than $222 billion in infrastructure needs throughout the state in everything from highways, bridges and freight rail to ports, airports, rural broadband and energy.
The report, “Building the Economy: Infrastructure Needs in Washington,” updates a 2017 report from the same coalition and reaffirms both the need to invest in Washington’s core infrastructure and the benefits that will come as a result.
Washington state contributes more than $300 billion to the U.S. economy, making the state’s infrastructure vital to the national interests, and yet the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the state’s infrastructure an overall grade of “C.”
Making the needed investments will create an estimated 706,000-777,000 direct and indirect jobs throughout the state, the report found.
“We know that federal officials understand the importance of rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure and we remain optimistic they will take action soon,” said Kris Johnson, president of the Association of Washington Business (AWB). “This report and the unprecedented partnership between our four organizations demonstrates that Washington state has laid the groundwork to act quickly and make smart use of resources when the opportunity arises.”
The report was commissioned by AWB and the Association of Washington Cities (AWC), the Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC), and the Washington Public Ports Association (WPPA).
It uses existing data on needs and illustrative projects from throughout the state to highlight investment opportunities in critical areas.
“The economy, vitality, and resiliency of our cities and our state depend on a 21st century infrastructure,” said Peter King, CEO of AWC. “It is crucial that we have a strong local-state-federal-private sector partnership as we invest in meeting these critical needs.”
“The fact is, people are moving to Washington State and we are poised for that growth,” said Eric Johnson, WSAC Executive Director. By 2040, an additional two million residents are expected to move to Washington.
“The strength of economic growth in Washington state is directly tied to maintaining our infrastructure,” said James Thompson, Deputy Director of WPPA. “In addition, we stay competitive and attract business through strategic investments that plan for future growth.”
The full report and summary are available to download:
Building the Economy: Infrastructure Needs in Washington (summary)
Building the Economy: Infrastructure Needs in Washington (full report)
Contact:
Jason Hagey, Association of Washington Business, jasonh@awb.org, 360.943.1600
Brian Daskam, Association of Washington Cities, briand@awcnet.org, 360.753.4137
Derek Anderson, Washington State Association of Counties, danderson@wsac.org, 360.489.3020
Laura Pettitt, Washington Public Ports Association, lpettitt@washingtonports.org, 360.943.0760