SB 5734 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Concerning the interstate bridge replacement toll bond authority.

SB 5734 authorizes up to $2.5 billion in state bonds to finance Washington's share of the Interstate 5 bridge replacement project with Oregon, directly affecting bridge toll users and taxpayers paying fuel and vehicle-related fees. The bill establishes that bond repayment will come first from bridge toll revenue, then from fuel taxes and vehicle fees, with no state debt issued without approval from the state financing committee. It clarifies that bonds are secured solely by toll revenue and fees - not general state credit - and requires the legislature to maintain these tolls and taxes to cover bond payments. The project will be funded through partnership with Oregon, sharing both costs and toll revenues equally.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 12, 2026 Last action Jan 12, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Bill Substitute Bill · 5 edits
MODERATE
This bill was revised to increase the authorized bond amount for the Interstate 5 bridge replacement project from $1.6 billion to $2.5 billion. The text was updated to reflect that the project is a partnership with Oregon involving equal cost sharing, and the bill now explicitly supports applying for federal loans. The act's scope was narrowed slightly by removing references to amending two other RCW sections, focusing only on RCW 47.10.907.
Scope change
The bill's scope was narrowed from amending three specific RCW sections to amending only one, while the total funding authority was significantly increased.
FISCAL

The maximum amount of general obligation bonds authorized for the project was increased from $1,600,000,000 to $2,500,000,000.

SCOPE

New introductory language was added to recognize the project as a partnership with Oregon, emphasizing equal sharing of costs and net toll revenues.

ELIGIBILITY

New language was added to support the state's application for a federal transportation infrastructure finance and innovation act loan, repayable solely from toll revenues.

TECHNICAL

The list of amended RCW sections was reduced from three to one, removing references to RCW 47.10.905 and 47.10.906.

The bill title was updated from 'SENATE BILL' to 'SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL' and the bill number was changed from Z-0056.2 to S-2646.1.

Floor votes

How they voted

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
8
Key actions
3
Committee
3
Jan 12, 2026
Introduced
By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.
upper
Apr 8, 2025
Upper · Passed
Minority; do not pass.
upper
Apr 8, 2025
Upper · Passed
Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Transportation at 1:30 PM.
upper
Feb 25, 2025
Upper · Passed
Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Transportation at 1:30 PM.
upper
1 primary · 4 co-sponsors

Sponsors