State Funding for Confluence Parkway Project Officially Secured

State funding for the City of Wenatchee's massive Confluence Parkway Project has now been fully secured.

The money is officially in place after both the Washington House and Senate passed their respective transportation budgets this week.

"Confluence Parkway is now scheduled in both of those budgets," explains 12th District Sen. Brad Hawkins (R) of East Wenatchee. "The funding in both budgets also aligns with what the governor and the Washington State Transportation Agency proposes to fund for Confluence Parkway. Basically, we have secured the funding for Confluence Parkway and the funding will begin July 1."

Hawkins says approval for the funding during this year's legislative session comes on the heels of an initial authorization that happened last year in Olympia.

"We were successful in getting $85 million included in last year's 16-year, Move Ahead Washington transportation package. It was a part of what was essentially a pre-determined Democratic transportation package. So we had a lot of bipartisan support and a lot of support from local stakeholders."

The $85 million in state funding for Confluence Parkway will be spread over six years within three separate two-year budget cycles, with $28 million scheduled for the 2023-25 budget; $47 million in the 2025-27 budget; and the final $10 million in the 2027-29 budget.

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.