HB 2172 Washington House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Concerning route jurisdiction transfer and abandonment.

HB 2172 proposes changes to how Washington State manages highway jurisdiction transfers. It requires a new review process by a transportation commission for requests to transfer state highways over two miles long or including bridges to county or city control. The commission must evaluate these requests using existing criteria focused on road connectivity, traffic volume, and regional importance before making recommendations. This bill directly affects counties, cities, and the state transportation commission by altering the procedure for road management decisions.

Issues: ✓ Transportation

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Dec 2025

Committee Review

Mar 2026

House Passage

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Dec 19, 2025 Last action Mar 12, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Substitute Bill → Engrossed Substitute Bill · 3 edits · Feb 13, 2026

MINOR

The bill was renamed from 'Substitute' to 'Engrossed Substitute,' indicating it has passed its final committee stage. The primary policy change removes the requirement for a specific legislative determination regarding short highway segments (under two miles or without bridges) when they are decommissioned, shifting the decision-making process to the executive branch. Additionally, a new provision clarifies that the legislature must only intervene if the state and local jurisdictions cannot agree on the disposition of longer highway segments or those with bridges.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding legislative oversight of highway abandonment was narrowed by removing mandatory legislative review for smaller highway segments, while adding a specific condition for when legislative review is required for larger segments.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the requirement for the legislature to make a final determination on the status of existing highway segments shorter than two miles or without bridges when they are decommissioned.

Added a specific condition requiring legislative determination only for highway segments exceeding two miles in length or including a bridge if the state and local jurisdictions cannot reach an agreement on their disposition.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill title from 'Substitute House Bill' to 'Engrossed Substitute House Bill' to reflect its legislative status.

Floor votes · House Feb 13, 2026

How they voted

94–0

Passed · 6 other

Total votes 100

Feb 13, 2026

D Democratic61

59 Yea 2

96% Yea

R Republican39

35 Yea 4

89% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 2, 2026

Upper · Passed

Executive session scheduled, but no action was taken in the Senate Committee on Transportation at 1:30 PM.

upper

Feb 27, 2026

Upper · Passed

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Transportation at 2:30 PM.

upper

Feb 13, 2026

Lower · Passed

Floor amendment(s) adopted.

lower

Feb 9, 2026

Committee

Referred to Rules 2 Review.

lower

Feb 9, 2026

Lower · Passed

Executive action taken in the House Committee on Transportation at 1:30 PM.

lower

Feb 5, 2026

Lower · Passed

Public hearing in the House Committee on Transportation at 1:00 PM.

lower

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor