City Grill

Cheryl Stewart 
Executive Director
Inland Northwest AGC

Although the eastern Washington market is fairly strong, uncertainty lies ahead.

“On the building side, we are being driven mostly by private and multifamily housing, but both of those markets are slowing down,” Stewart says. “There is very little work in the education sector, but we have several school bonds on the ballot right now that could help boost those numbers moving forward.”

Infrastructure Act funding has so far favored western Washington, so the eastern part of the state has really only seen a couple U.S. Dept. of Transportation improvement projects this year.

“Washington passed a large transportation package a couple of years ago, but moved some funding around in 2023 that decimated the M&P budget,” she says. “While it is the largest DOT budget in years, it includes several megaprojects on the I-5 corridor area and a fish passage program that is court mandated and severely over budget. That leaves eastern Washington contractors with very little work this coming year. Our local municipalities have some robust programs, but highway contractors will be facing a tight year and a competitive market.”