WATERSPORTS -- Northwest paddlers could benefit from a new law that requires the Washington Department of Transportation to consider access to the water when building or refurbishing bridges.

Senate Bill 6363, which was signed by Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday, seeks to improve public access at bridge right-of-ways by requiring the state to include a formal evaluation of opportunities for water access within the public right-of-way on future bridge projects.

“When a bridge is constructed, it represents an important opportunity to evaluate how the public is using the site for river access and identify opportunities to both improve public safety and enhance the quality of the user experience,” said Thomas O’Keefe of American Whitewater.

The initially was considered last year following a recommendation from the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Task Force to address access to recreational opportunities.  California has a similar provision in its state highway code.

The bill was re-introduced this year by American Whitewater and the Northwest Marine Trade Association. With revised language approved by the House Transportation Committee and Washington Dept. of Transportation, the bill was passed by the Senate on Feb.17 with a unanimous 49-0 vote and the House with a 58-39 vote on March 3, 2016.

"This is a big deal for our friends in the paddling community," said Peter Schrappen, NMTA's vice president who was the lead on the bill.

"Unfortunately, our state's department of transportation has periodically built bridges and wiped out access to the water. An example of this occurred on Highway 2 over the Wenatchee River. While this doesn't always happen, this bill provides a safeguard for us."

About 11 percent of the Washington’s population participates in non-motorized boating and the number of participants grows every year, American Whitewater says.