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Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02)’s BUILD America 250 Act passed out of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The bipartisan, five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill continues historic investments in Washington state started by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 (BIL).

“Every day is Infrastructure Day in Northwest Washington,” said Rep. Larsen. “The BUILD America 250 Act will employ women and men in my district building roads, bridges, highways, transit, culverts and more. You can’t have a big-league economy with little-league infrastructure, and the investments made by the BUILD America 250 Act will upgrade Northwest Washington’s infrastructure and upgrade our economy.”

Washington State Wins in the BUILD America 250 Act

The BUILD America 250 Act funds Washington state transportation and infrastructure priorities, including ferries, culverts and transit. Wins for Washington in the BUILD America 250 Act include: 

• $1.7 billion for ferries: The bill provides $1.7 billion in dedicated funding to construct and repair ferries.
  • The bill boosts the Federal Highway Administration’s Ferry Boat program to $932 million (up from $570 million in BIL).
  • The bill provides the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) ferry programs with $625 million in funding for urban areas and an additional $125 million in funding for rural and insular areas.
  • The bill allows Washington State Ferries (WSF) more flexibility to apply for funding for ferries that serve urban and rural communities, which will help WSF invest in and maintain ferries to ensure residents of San Juan and Island counties have reliable transportation.

• $87.5 billion for transit: The bill provides $87.5 billion over five years to expand and improve transit networks across America, including Northwest Washington, growing the region’s economy.

• $10 billion for buses: The bill maintains the Buses and Bus Facilities discretionary grant program and provides $10 billion in guaranteed funding over five years, which will help local transit agencies to replace aging fleets.
  • Last year, the FTA awarded more than $50 million through bus programs to Everett Transit, Skagit Transit, Community Transit and Whatcom Transportation Authority to transition to low emission buses, improve service reliability and invest in paratransit services.
  • Rep. Larsen is the co-chair of the Congressional Bus Caucus.
    
    
• $1 billion for culverts: The bill preserves the National Culvert Program and maintains $1 billion in guaranteed funding for culvert projects, which will help support salmon restoration and environmental protection efforts in Northwest Washington. 
  • In 2022, the City of Bellingham received $1.8 million to replace two culvert crossings at the mouth of Squalicum Creek and the Nooksack Indian Tribe received $1.2 million to replace a culvert with a bridge on Jones Creek by the BNSF Railway line.
    
    
• $45 billion for bridges: The bill provides the largest ever investment in repairing and replacing America’s aging bridges.
  • 25 percent of guaranteed bridge funding ($11.25 billion) is dedicated to local governments.
  • The recently reopened Edgewater Bridge that connects Everett and Mukilteo received $25 million in funding through federal bridge investments.
    
    
• $45.6 billion in Surface Transportation Block Grants (STBG) for communities of all sizes: The bill provides $45.6 billion over five years in STBG funding to be distributed to local areas, and allows island communities in San Juan County to access these funds for dock and water infrastructure projects.
  
  
• $83 billion for local communities to build highways and rail: The bill provides nearly $83 billion in highway and multimodal funding to local communities, ensuring that folks on the ground can direct funding to best serve their neighbors.
  • The bill includes $12 billion for a new Surface Transportation Accelerator Grant (STAG) for local communities, with dedicated pots of funding for communities of all sizes.
  • The bill also makes local governments eligible for $30 billion in rail improvement funds.
  • The City of Everett received more than $18 million last year to eliminate two at-grade railroad crossings that pose significant risks to public safety through the construction of an overpass and new integrated roundabout near the Smith Island railroad terminal in Everett.
    
    
• Protecting the environment: The bill provides funding to support cleaner and greener transportation and infrastructure, and protects Northwest Washington’s environment.
  • The bill streamlines permitting reviews to make environmentally-friendly projects easier to build. 
  • The bill requires states to invest $1 billion in alternative fuel infrastructure – including electric vehicle charging.
  • The bill maintains $500 million in annual funding for PROTECT grants to make surface transportation more resilient to the changing climate.
    
    
• Helping veterans access health care: The bill makes funding available to provide veterans with public transportation to Department of Veterans Affairs facilities and veterans organizations, like the Everett and Mount Vernon Community Based Outpatient Clinics.
  • Rep. Larsen originally introduced a bill to make this funding available in December 2025.
    
    
• Supporting safety at the World Cup: The bill authorizes $250 million in funding for communities hosting international sporting events, like the World Cup, to ensure players and fans are safe at games.
  • Rep. Larsen originally introduced this bipartisan legislation to provide this funding in December 2025.  

The BUILD America 250 Act passed out of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee by a vote of 62-2.

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