PROTECT Program
Forecasted
The PROTECT Program supports Washington local agencies in correcting fish passage barriers on salmon-bearing streams to strengthen transportation resilience and improve habitat access for anadromous fish.
Funder: Washington State Department of Transportation
Due Dates (Anticipated): February 2027 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: $2 million minimum construction funding request; $50 million was available in the prior call
Summary: Washington’s PROTECT funding supports local fish passage projects that strengthen surface transportation resilience.
Key Information: For this funding opportunity, sponsors and crossings must be city or county government-owned.
Description
The Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) program was established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to make surface transportation more resilient to climate change and natural hazards. Nationally, it supports planning, resilience improvements, community resilience and evacuation routes, and at-risk coastal infrastructure.
In Washington, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) directs the local-agency funding described here to fish passage projects. The Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board scores and prioritizes projects, while WSDOT Local Programs coordinates federal eligibility and, for projects with obligated funding, reimbursement. Eligible projects correct barriers on salmon-bearing streams, connecting transportation resilience with improved access to habitat for anadromous fish.
