Washington state voters appear to have overthrown an effort to rollback a record $5.5 billion fuel tax increase in Tuesday’s election.

The outcome was too close to call early Wednesday, Nov. 9, but with more than 1 million votes counted, tax supporters had built a lead of about 63,000 votes – nearly 53 percent of those cast.

Opponents, including Gov. Christine Gregoire, told local media they were encouraged that they had beaten back the tax revolt.

Supporters refused to concede but admitted the tax measure now faces an uphill battle as absentee ballots are counted.

The repeal measure, Initiative 912, would rescind gas tax increases totaling 9.5 cents per gallon that the Washington Legislature approved this spring. Unaffected by the ballot issue was a diesel tax increase for the same amount.

The first 3 cents took effect July 1, bringing the state’s tax to 31 cents per gallon. Another 3-cent bump is scheduled for next July, two more pennies a year later and a final 1.5-cent boost is scheduled for 2008.

Lawmakers raised the state’s fuel tax from 23 cents to 28 cents a year ago.

Also unaffected by the rollback initiative is a new vehicle weight fee that adds between $5 and $25 to annual licensing fees, as well as tolls and local-option tax increases for cities and counties.

At stake is $5.5 billion in the next 16 years for 274 road and bridge projects, including $2 billion for the replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle and $500 million for a new Highway 520 floating bridge across Lake Washington, linking Seattle and Bellevue , as well as congestion relief, farm-to-market projects and local roads across the state.

If the vote holds, the state will quickly begin work on transportation projects that had been on hold pending the Election Day outcome, The Associated Press reported.