HB 2172 — Concerning route jurisdiction transfer and abandonment.

ENGROSSEDH-2565.2 SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2172 State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session By House Transportation (originally sponsored by Representatives Bernbaum and Reed)Reed READPrefiled FIRST12/19/25. TIME 02/09/26.

Read first time 01/12/26.

Referred to Committee on Transportation.

((All)) (1) Except as provided under subsection (2) of this section, the state department of transportation may modify the alignment of all public highways in this state ((which)) that have been a part of the route of a state highway and have been or may hereafter be no longer necessary as such, if situated outside of the limits of incorporated cities or towns, shall, upon certification thereof by the state department of transportation to the legislative authority of the county in which any portion of the highway is located, become a county road of the county, and if situated within the corporate limits of any city or town shall upon certification thereof by the state department of transportation to the mayor of the city or town in which any portion of the highway is located become a street of the city or town.

Upon the certification the secretary of transportation shall execute a deed, which shall be duly acknowledged,p. conveying the abandoned highway or portion thereof to the county or city as the case may be.

p.1 HB 2172 acknowledged, conveying the abandoned highway or portion thereof to the county or city as the case may be.

1 ESHB 2172 (2) TheAny departmentportion mustof entera intostate anhighway agreementdetermined withto ano citylonger orbe countynecessary inunder whichsubsection any(1) portion of athis statesection, highway, which exceeds two miles in length or includes a bridge, isshall determinedbe toconsidered noa longerroute betransfer necessaryand undersubject subsectionto (1)the provisions of thisRCW section.47.17.001 and 47.01.425.

Such agreement must be entered into before any portion of a state highway can be abandoned to the county or city.

If an agreement cannot be reached, the department must forward to the legislature the proposed abandonment for review and determination, pursuant to RCW 47.17.001.

2 ESHBHB 2172 (2) A rural highway route should be designated as a state highway if it meets any of the following criteria:

3 ESHBHB 2172 oriented traffic in urbanized areas)) in a city or United States census designated place.

4 ESHBHB 2172 (iii) The most direct route and the lowest travel time;

(6) TheIf legislaturea shall,highway throughproject dulyresults enactedin legislation,the makedecommissioning of a finalportion determination regarding the status of an existing state highwayhighway, segmentsuch thatas exceedsdue twoto milesa change in lengththe orhighway's includesalignment, athe bridgelegislature thatmust hasmake beena orfinal isdetermination inregarding the processstatus of being decommissioned and the departmentexisting andstate thehighway citysegment, orthrough countyduly cannotenacted reachlegislation agreementincluding, onbut itsnot dispositionlimited pursuantto: to RCW 36.75.090.

(a) Authorizing the disposition of the segment via RCW 36.75.090;

(b) Approving the transfer of the segment to the local jurisdiction;

(c) Authorizing the demolition of the segment;

or (d) Retaining the segment as part of the state highway system.

((The)) Subject to the requirements of RCW 36.75.090(2),47.01.425, the department of transportation shall determine what streets, together with bridges thereon and wharves necessary for use for ferriage of motor vehicle traffic in connection with such streets, if any, in any incorporated cities and towns shall form a part of the route of state highways and between the first and ((fifteenth)) 15th days of July of any year the department shall identify by brief description, the streets, together with the bridges thereon and wharves, if any, in such city or town ((which)) that are designated as forming a part of the route of any state highway;

PROVIDED, That the responsibility for the construction and maintenance of any such street together with its appurtenances may be returned to a city or a town upon certification byp. the department to the clerk of any city or town that such street, or portion thereof, is no longer required as a part of the state highway system:

PROVIDED5 FURTHER,HB That2172 by the department to the clerk of any suchcity certificationor town that asuch street, or portion thereof, is no longer required as a part of the p.state highway system:

5PROVIDED ESHBFURTHER, 2172That any such certification that a street, or portion thereof, is no longer required as a part of the state highway system shall be made between the first and ((fifteenth)) 15th of July following the determination by the department that such street or portion thereof is no longer required as a part of the state highway system, but this shall not prevent the department and any city or town from entering into an agreement that a city or town will accept responsibility for such a street or portion thereof at some time other than between the first and ((fifteenth)) 15th of July of any year.

((Whenever)) Subject to the requirements of RCW 36.75.090(2),47.01.425, whenever the general route of any state highway shall be designated and laid out as running to or by way of certain designated points, without specifying the particular route to be followed to or by way of such points, the department shall determine the particular route to be followed by said state highway to or by way of said designated points, and shall be at liberty to select and adopt as a part of such state highway, the whole or any part of any existing public highway previously designated as a county road, primary road, or secondary road or now or hereafter classified as a county road.

6 ESHBHB 2172