State route 520 between Montlake and Interstate 5 on Saturday afternoon in Seattle. When the state asked for bids for a new bridge over Portage Bay, they came in at a half-billion dollars more than expected, in what’s becoming a common occurrence in state transportation projects. (Kevin Clark / The Seattle Times)
(Kevin Clark / The Seattle Times)
Traffic Lab

Prices skyrocket on WA transportation projects, and fewer contractors want the jobs

As lawmakers look toward a 15-year sprint to build out the state's highways, bridges and ferries, a worrisome trend is casting a shadow over their ambitions.

Politics

Khalistan flags are seen outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib in Surrey, British Columbia, on Monday, Sept. 18, 2023, where temple president Hardeep Singh Nijjar was gunned down in his vehicle while leaving the temple parking lot in June. Canada expelled a top Indian diplomat Monday as it investigates what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called credible allegations that India’s government may have had links to the assassination in Canada of a Sikh activist.(Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP) DYD113 DYD113

India suspends visa services for citizens of Canada and tells it to cut its diplomats

Opinion

Passage of drug use bill is not the end of debate in Seattle | Editorial
LZ Granderson
The Panama Canal is running dry, a problem the U.S. helped create and is making worse | LZ Granderson
2 small rule changes that will give WA farmers a big boost | Op-Ed
Brier Dudley
Q&A: How to apply for Press Forward grants and support it locally | Brier Dudley

Local News

A dead white sturgeon over 8 feet long washed ashore in Kenmore on Sept. 6, presenting scientists a sampling opportunity to study the fish’s Lake Washington population.

8-foot-long white sturgeon washes up on Lake Washington shore

Featured Columnist

Is Inslee’s plan working? The electric car age arrives — for some

Mental Health

How insurers prevent lifesaving treatment for eating disorders
What you need to know about getting eating-disorder treatment
Why so many in crisis are rejected by King County mental health facilities
How a Seattle Times artist portrayed the emotional experience of an eating disorder

Business & Tech

Why U.S. hotels are missing more than 238,000 employees VIEW

Most Read Stories

Nation & World

A Brightline train approaches the Fort Lauderdale station on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The first big test of whether privately owned high-speed passenger train service can prosper in the United States will launch Friday, Sept. 22, when Florida’s Brightline begins running trains between Miami and Orlando, reaching speeds of 125 mph (200 kph). (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) FLML104 FLML104

First private US passenger rail line in 100 years will soon link 2 major cities at high speed VIEW

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Health

FILE – COVID-19 antigen home tests indicating a positive result are photographed in New York, April 5, 2023. The Biden administration has announced that it is providing $600 million in funding to produce new at-home COVID-19 tests and is restarting a website allowing Americans to again order up to four free tests per household. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File) WX110 WX110

Free COVID tests are coming back; here are the details

A letter from our publisher

Community investment and engagement keeps our local free press going