Confluence Parkway Fully Funded In State Transportation Budget
Wenatchee’s Confluence Parkway project is approved and scheduled in the state Legislature’s final transportation budget that’s now headed to the Governor’s desk.
Approval came in the final days of the legislative session which ended Sunday.
In the 2022 legislative session, the state approved a new, 16-year, $16.9 billion “Move Ahead Washington” package, which included $85 million for the Confluence Parkway but the funding schedule was undetermined.
East Wenatchee State Senator Brad Hawkins says the Parkway project is now funded with a set timeline.
"I'm super excited about the Confluence Parkway funding," said Hawkins. "We went from not having the project funded to getting the project included in the Move Ahead Washington transportation package, and now getting the project scheduled with exactly the phasing that we need."
The lion’s share of the construction should be done within the next four years, and it’s slated to be completely finished by 2029.
The state funding will be spread over six years within three separate two-year budget cycles, with $28 million scheduled for the 2023-25 budget starting on July 1; $47 million in the 2025-27 budget; and the final $10 million in the 2027-29 budget.
Hawkins says there's no way to underestimate the importance of the project.
"This is probably the most significant transportation project ever for our community." Hawkins said.
The project's total cost is estimated to be roughly $177 million, with $92 million provided by an Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program grant which the City of Wenatchee received in 2021 from the federal government.
Hawkins says the state schedule will allow the City of Wenatchee to fully benefit from the federal grant dollars it was awarded for project.