Washington spent roughly $6.2 million on a wildlife bridge over Interstate 90, and nearly eight years later the state finally has something it wants to brag about: its first black bear.

The overcrossing sits east of the summit at Snoqualmie Pass and opened in late 2018 as the showpiece of the I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East Project, a roughly $1 billion rebuild of a 15-mile stretch of highway. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) captured video of the bear on June 28 and promoted it fast, even as the state’s highways rank among the worst in the nation. The agency has recorded plenty of animal traffic on the span, but a bear had never turned up until now.

That is the milestone officials are selling as a victory? Whether one bear justifies the spending is a fair question for the taxpayers who paid for it.

A costly bridge and one bear

The structure runs about 150 feet wide, vaults 60 feet into the air, and carries 8-foot walls along its edges, according to The Seattle Times, which first reported the sighting. Since WSDOT began recording in late 2018, the agency counts 9,390 animal crossings on the overcrossing, including beaver, elk, coyote, bobcat, deer, and cougar. The bear is simply the newest species to wander across a bridge that cost about $6.2 million to build.

WSDOT spokesperson Summer Derrey suggested the animals need time to trust the structure.

“It does take a little bit of time for the bears to cross, as they’re a little bit suspicious,” Derrey told The Seattle Times. “Likely we’ll see more bears as they get familiar and comfortable.”

Maybe so. For now, the state is running a public relations lap over a single bear, on one piece of a project pushing toward $1 billion, with 15 more crossings planned in the coming years.

Crumbling roads, celebrated critters

The context matters for anyone who actually drives these roads. Washington has 342 aging bridges with a $9.2 billion replacement bill, and a Reason Foundation report ranked the state near the bottom nationally for what taxpayers get back on highway dollars. Drivers stuck on deteriorating pavement and closed spans might wonder why an animal crossing earns a celebratory video while their commute keeps getting worse.

Governor Bob Ferguson recently signed a $16.6 billion transportation plan built on billions in new borrowing, and WSDOT is still warning about a maintenance shortfall it cannot close. The money for wildlife bridges was locked in through earlier transportation packages, so that spending continues no matter what shape the roads people depend on are in.

None of this means the bear is unwelcome. The bear is cute. But it also means the state’s priorities are on full view. Washington will spend a billion dollars ushering elk and bears over a freeway it cannot afford to properly maintain, then present a single bear as a win? That’s odd to me.

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