The governor of Washington state wants to raise fuel taxes by 7 cents over the next three years and increase other fees on trucks as part of a package to address the state's highway and traffic woes.

Gov. Gary Locke last week proposed a 10-year, $17.2 billion transportation package. About $9.4 billion of the funds would come from the state, if voters agree in a statewide vote this fall, while urban areas would raise the rest of the funds. The state's share of the funds would come from a 50-percent gross weight surcharge for trucks, a 2% increase in the sales tax for new and used motor vehicles, and a 4-cent motor fuel tax increase in January, with another 3-cent increase to come two years later.
"We've got some of the worst traffic congestion in the nation, and it is getting worse," Locke said, with "truckers struggling to get products to market on time."
Among the projects targeted in Locke's proposal are widening Interstate 405 and building a new 520 bridge in the Central Puget Sound area, as well as building a new Highway 167 corridor in Tacoma.
State lawmakers are halfway through a four-week special session. According to published reports, both Democrats and Republicans appear to be willing to support the proposal, albeit grudgingly in many cases.