(The Center Square) – The Washington state highway system is in “early stages of failure” due to a lack of maintenance and preservation for not only the highway infrastructure itself, but also regarding the equipment and facilities that need to be replaced or upgraded, according to a recent presentation by the Washington State Department of Transportation.

The warning comes as Washington state government has spent more in recent budgets than it ever has, and WSDOT officials have previously said the issue is not due to lack of funding but how that funding is prioritized.