Connect
Statewide advocacy
and collaboration
26.8
minutes
Average statewide commute time
$16.1 billion
Key projects funded by the
2015 transportation package
• Highway 520 bridge replacement
• Puget Sound Gateway
(Highways 167 and 509)
• North Spokane Corridor
• I-90 expansion over
Snoqualmie Pass
18,000
Number of road miles
in Washington state
For three consecutive years, AWB made passage of a statewide
transportation revenue and reform package its top legislative
priority. In 2015, the hard work paid off as lawmakers approved
the first major transportation package in a decade.
The 16-year, $16 billion funding package — approved on a
strong bipartisan vote and quickly signed by Gov. Jay Inslee —
was the result of statewide advocacy and collaboration.
AWB’s Government Affairs staff helped lead the effort,
convening meetings among a diverse group of stakeholders and
bringing dozens of people to Olympia to testify in favor of the
package, including members of the new Grassroots Alliance, a
partnership with local chambers throughout the state. It was
formed in 2014 and grew to more than 50 chambers in 2015.
“Our chamber knows that with the current business climate
in Washington state, we need to band together to ensure the
health of our small-business owners,” said Stephanie Hamilton,
executive director of the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce.
In addition to testifying, AWB members and allies adopted the
#TranspoNow hashtag on Twitter, amplifying our message to
lawmakers, news media and policy makers.
Connecting Washington’s employers, families and communities
with each other and with the world requires more than just
roads and bridges.
That’s why we continue to advocate for adequate infrastructure
— including water resources, low-cost energy and broadband
services — to support economic development. And it’s why
we pushed for an end to the port slowdown that brought
exports to a halt in late 2014 and early 2015 in a series of
blog posts and newspaper op-eds.