Drivers in the state of Washington will soon experience a rise in the number of orange barrels they encounter while traveling through the state.

The state is embarking on a two-year surge of transportation improvements, but after that the funding will drop off sharply, The Associated Press reported.

On July 14, the state transportation commission got its first look at the proposed budget for the 2005-07 budget cycle.

“It’s pretty clear we’re going to run out of gas,” Commissioner Aubrey Davis told the news agency. “It’s a steady downward slide from here on out.”

The roads budget will sag from $2.3 billion in the 2005-07 budget cycle to $896 million in the budget cycle that begins in 2013. The construction boom is fueled by the 5-cent fuel tax increase approved by state lawmakers and Gov. Gary Locke in 2003.

The seven-member commission is expected to vote on the budget at its August meeting, and present it to the Legislature in September.