In a surprise move, members of the Washington state Senate rejected Lynn Peterson’s appointment as the Secretary of Transportation. She has served as Governor Inslee’s Transportation Secretary since 2013 but was never confirmed by the Senate.  This afternoon’s move by the Senate in a 25-21 vote reflects the growing public frustration with the Department of Transportation.

The debate today centered around the fact that nearly 30,000 people signed a petition to remove the unpopular tolls on Interstate 405. In addition, project delays continue to mount on the troubled Alaskan Way tunneling machine. Cost overruns on the 520 Bridge pontoons used up the $250 million contingency budget and required an additional $170 million to fix the problem. While the problems with the DOT took center stage, Peterson was also praised for her efforts on restoring I-5 after the Skagit Bridge collapse.

Washington Policy Center hopes that the next Secretary of Transportation will place an emphasis on accountability, cost effectiveness in reforming the state’s transportation system, making congestion relief a priority, and implementing and expanding the key reforms in last year’s transportation package.