In the middle of a slumping economy and people who are struggling to pay their bills and keep their homes, Washington state is looking for $600 million in economic stimulus to repair its failing roads. There are already projects that are ready and waiting for that money, but the earliest it will come will likely be late January.

The current governor of the state, Democrat Chris Gregoire, says that she has met privately with President-Elect Barack Obama in order to talk about what her state really needs, what kinds of budget cuts it is facing, and what she can do to help the new administration and her state make headway in the failing economy.

The $600 million would hopefully be part of a larger package that would deal with roads, bridges, and infrastructure as well as the healthcare system and other services in the state. For which Gregoire expects to see increased demand in the coming months and years as more people age and also as more people move to the state.