The state of Washington, 20th in road spending just a few years ago, will fall to 49th of the 50 states in capital spending on its highways by 2004 after the failure of Referendum 51, a fuel-tax measure, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported recently.

Nationally, states spend an average of $158 per capita on capital work on roads; in Washington state, the figure is $119. By 2004, the state will drop to $80 per capita. The figures were revealed to the state transportation commission last week by Transportation Secretary Doug McDonald.

"We are the Mississippi of roads," McDonald said in a statement.

McDonald appeared before the commission to outline a new strategy for funding transportation needs in the state.

In March 2002, the Washington State Legislature passed a financing package that would pay for transportation improvements through transportation fees and taxes. The measure, which failed at the polls Nov. 5, was called Referendum 51. According to information on the WSDOT Web site, the measure would have included highway capacity, public transportation, passenger and freight rail, fuel excise taxes, sales taxes on vehicles and increased weight fees on trucks and large vehicles.

McDonald presented three funding plans to the commission to address the shortfall, involving combinations of increased fuel taxes, sales taxes on new and used vehicles, and recapturing the sales tax WSDOT pays on construction projects. In addition, media reports indicated the commission might consider adding tolls to some roads.