BILL REQ. #:  Z-0738.3 

Read first time 01/23/12.   Referred to Committee on Transportation.

     AN ACT Relating to financing the Interstate 5 Columbia river crossing project; adding a new section to chapter 47.56 RCW; creating a new section; and providing a contingent effective date.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that the replacement and improvement of the Interstate 5 Columbia river crossing is critical for the west coast's transportation system and for the safety of Washington and Oregon drivers. The interstate bridge includes two side-by-side structures built in 1917 and 1958. In 2005, approximately one hundred thirty-four thousand vehicles traveled across the interstate bridge each day, and about forty billion dollars in freight crosses the river each year. Collisions on and near the bridge occur at a rate almost twice as high as other similar urban highways, and the aging bridges are vulnerable to earthquakes. Replacing these structures and making multimodal improvements to facilitate travel in the bistate corridor is essential for the economy of the region. Therefore, the state must develop a comprehensive approach to fund an Interstate 5 Columbia river crossing project.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 47.56 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) For the purposes of this section, "Columbia river crossing project" means the bistate, multimodal corridor improvement program between the state route number 500 interchange in Vancouver, Washington and the Victory Boulevard interchange in Portland, Oregon.
     (2) The Columbia river crossing project is designated an eligible toll facility. For the purposes of this section, "eligible toll facility" means the Interstate 5 transportation corridor between the state route number 500 interchange in Vancouver, Washington and the Victory Boulevard interchange in Portland, Oregon. Tolls are authorized to be charged for travel on the existing and replacement Interstate 5 Columbia river bridges.
     (3) For the Columbia river crossing project, the tolling authority may enter into agreements with the Oregon state transportation commission regarding the mutual or joint setting, adjustment, and review of toll rates as the tolling authority may find necessary or convenient to carry out the purposes of this section.
     (4) Toll revenue generated on the Columbia river crossing project must only be expended as allowed under RCW 47.56.820.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   This act takes effect upon, and tolls may not be collected on the Columbia river crossing project until, certification of the secretary of transportation to the governor that the department of transportation has received sufficient funding authority to initiate construction of the Columbia river crossing project and the transportation commission has executed an agreement or agreements described in section 2(3) of this act. If the secretary of transportation does not provide such certification to the governor by December 31, 2015, this act is null and void.