HCOG PAC advances RTIP/STIP recommendations, TAC proposes limited overprogramming; public comment questions VMT and equity

The Humboldt County Association of Governments Policy Advisory Committee discussed draft recommendations from the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) for 2026 STIP programming and the region’s RTIP on Oct. 16. PAC members directed staff to carry the TAC’s draft RTIP into the November process and forwarded the package to the HCOG board for final action.

Staff described STIP as a biennial five‑year, state‑funded programming cycle funded from the State Highway Account. HCOG staff reported the regional target for programming in the 2026 cycle is about $2,334,000. The TAC recommended programming about $3,000,000—which represents roughly $650,000 of overprogramming by borrowing against future STIP shares—in order to fund five projects across the region and fund full phases where possible.

TAC recommended the following draft funding allocations (recommended amounts shown as TAC draft recommendation):

- Arcadia (South Arcadia Multimodal Safety Improvement Project/SAM SIP): $700,000 for PA&ED (project initiation/environmental and preliminary engineering). - City of Blue Lake (final phase of truck route project): $625,000 for construction of a priority subphase. - City of Eureka (Hawthorne and Humboldt bike boulevard project): $750,000 for construction; staff…