In an 86-12 vote Tuesday, the state House passed a bill sponsored by Rep. Paul Graves to raise the population threshold for when a city assumes responsibility for maintaining state routes.
Graves says the bill seeks to help exurban growing cities, including Maple Valley. Under current law, the Washington State Department of Transportation is responsible for maintaining state routes that cross through cities with fewer than 25,000 residents. House Bill 2948 would raise that threshold to 35,000 residents.
“This is an important bill for every city and town that has state routes within its boundaries, including the city of Maple Valley, where I grew up and now have the honor of representing,” said Graves, R-Fall City. “When I was a child, Maple Valley was a town of 5,000 people. Today, its population hovers around 25,000. That means city planners may soon be tasked with figuring out what to cut from the annual budget in order to maintain the Maple Valley Highway. That would have serious ramifications for the city and its residents. I’m grateful for the bipartisan support this bill has received, and am hopeful we’ll be able to get it to the governor’s desk.”
House Bill 2948 now moves to the Senate for further consideration.
