The Nickel Project refers to a transportation funding initiative enacted by the
Washington State Legislature
The Washington State Legislature is the state legislature of the State of Washington. It is a bicameral body, composed of the lower Washington House of Representatives, composed of 98 representatives, and the upper Washington State Senate, w ...
in 2003. The program's slogan, “It's your Nickel, Watch it Work,” reflects its funding mechanism and commitment to infrastructure improvement.
Funding
The Nickel Project was designed to generate $3.9 billion over a ten-year period to finance 158 transportation projects across Washington. The funding was sourced through:
* Gas Tax Increase — A 5-cent per gallon increase in the state
gasoline tax
A fuel tax (also known as a petrol, gasoline or gas tax, or as a fuel duty) is an excise tax imposed on the sale of fuel. In most countries, the fuel tax is imposed on fuels which are intended for transportation. Fuel tax receipts are often dedica ...
.
* Heavy Truck Fees — A 15% increase in gross weight fees for
heavy trucks.
* Vehicle Sales Tax — A 0.3% increase in the
sales tax
A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...
on motor vehicles.
These revenue streams were allocated to the Nickel Account, dedicated exclusively to the specified transportation projects.
Project scope
The 158 projects funded under the Nickel Project aimed to address various transportation needs, including:
* Congestion relief — Allocating $2.6 billion to alleviate traffic congestion in critical areas.
* Safety enhancements — Implementing measures to improve road safety.
* Infrastructure preservation — Maintaining and upgrading existing transportation infrastructure.
References
External links
Nickel Funding Project at WSDOT
Transportation in Washington (state)
{{Washington-transport-stub