WA Secretary of Transportation on roads, bridges, and ferries

You may be hitting the road soon to enjoy some of the many beautiful parts of Washington State. But projects are underway throughout the state, including highway maintenance, reduced ferry services, and bridge repairs.

Drivers on the 405, 520 and I-90 are experiencing on-and-off closures for widening projects and fish culvert replacement. If you’ve tried taking the ferry recently you may have run into cancellations, reduced service, or in the rare case, been stranded aboard. There’s a lot on the state Department of Transportation’s plate lately, including major projects like replacing the Columbia River Bridge.

But Washington's Secretary of Transportation says a big priority is going underfunded: maintenance on our interstates and boats.

Roger Millar says the recent transportation budget from the legislature falls short of what he believes his department needs to keep things moving smoothly. And he said in a memo last month that the lack of investment puts the transportation system, "on a glidepath to failure.”

Listen to the full interview with Roger Millar by clicking "play" on the audio above.