Transportation Committee Recap: WSDOT Brings P3 Playbook to the Table

Bellevue Chamber Staff  |  April 7, 2026

The Bellevue Chamber's Transportation Committee met April 2 to hear from WSDOT's Director of Innovative Partnerships Anthony Buckley on the state's emerging public-private partnership program.

WSDOT'S NEW P3 PROGRAM

Buckley opened with a blunt assessment of the state's infrastructure funding model. Traditional gas tax revenue is eroding as vehicles become more efficient and EV adoption accelerates, while construction costs climb and project complexity increases.

"We are asking a 20th century transportation funding model to solve for 21st century problems." — Anthony Buckley, WSDOT Director of Innovative Partnerships

Senate Bill 5801, passed in 2025, gave WSDOT workable statutory authority for P3s after decades of unworkable legislation dating back to the 1990s. The new program becomes effective January 1, 2027. WSDOT has hired a consultant and new staff to build out the program and must deliver proposed administrative rules and a project program manual to the legislature by September 1. A public workshop will invite stakeholders to review and critique those documents before they go to lawmakers.

Buckley emphasized the distinction between financing and funding: P3s are not free money, they are investment structures that require a return to private partners. Good P3 candidates need a strong foundation and reliable repayment source, whether through tolling, lease payments, or legislative appropriations. He pointed to Pennsylvania's bridge bundling program as a model, where 300 bridges projected to take 30 to 40 years under traditional procurement were completed in five.

"The question in front of us is not whether we can afford to invest in critical corridors like I-405. The question is whether we can afford to keep delivering the way we always have." — Anthony Buckley

I-405 AS A PILOT CORRIDOR

Buckley identified I-405 as a strong P3 candidate given its existing tolling framework, high demand, and corridor-wide investment need. The opportunity, he said, is to think at the corridor level rather than project by project, opening the door to revenue risk models, availability payment structures, or bundled project portfolios that attract competitive private investment.

LOOKING AHEAD

WSDOT is roughly two years from executing its first P3 project. After September's deliverables and January's program launch, the department will bring a budget request to the 2027 legislative session.

Also on the agenda, the planned presentation on the King County Transportation Benefit District was postponed because Sound Cities' representative was in a live vote on the measure during the meeting. The Committee also noted that Sound Transit's three realignment proposals have advanced to a public feedback process, with a full briefing planned for the May 7 meeting.