Funding for Spokane North-South Freeway in the hands of Washington lawmakers

A transportation project first proposed in the 1940s could face another significant delay after Washington's governor proposed the funding be removed from the budget for the next four years. Now, the fate of the long-awaited project is in the hands of the Washington state legislature.

The North-South Freeway is perhaps the longest-running project in Spokane history, but a series of funding cuts and other obstacles have delayed the freeway's completion. Gov. Jay Inslee proposed the project lose its funding until 2027, prompting a swift reaction from Spokane residents and Eastern Washington lawmakers who want to ensure the freeway is finished.

While a portion of the freeway is complete, residents across Spokane are anxiously awaiting a finished project decades later. So when Gov. Inslee released his proposed biennial budget with no funding for the North-South freeway, reactions came in strong.

"I thought someone was pulling my leg. I mean, it's been going on for so long," said Jack Green, the owner of Green's Fresh Market in Hillyard.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/like-this-side-of-the-state-doesn-t-count-funding-for-north-south-freeway-in-the-hands-of-washington-lawmakers/ar-AA17Av9n