Council reviews draft 2026–2031 Transportation Improvement Program; federal earmark moves roundabout forward

Lake Stevens staff presented a draft 2026–2031 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) on June 24 and asked the council for direction so staff can finalize the document, set a public hearing and seek adoption at the July 1 meeting.

Kim Klinkers, the city engineer, said the TIP is required under state law and is a six‑year planning document that does not itself authorize funds; it aligns projects with the city’s comprehensive plan and the capital facilities plan and is a prerequisite for obligating certain state and federal grants. Klinkers said the TIP must be filed with the Washington State Department of Transportation and, where applicable, included in the statewide transportation improvement program (STIP) to obligate federal funds.

Council discussion focused on several program priorities. Staff confirmed a $2,500,000 federal earmark for the Twentieth Street and Main Street roundabout that the council had been tracking; staff said federal funds must be shown in the TIP and coordinated with WSDOT before the city can obligate those funds for construction. A community development director said the earmark was a key factor in moving the roundabout toward construction and that local funds previously projected for the project would be available to support other projects once the federal grant is secured.

Council members also asked about Transportation Benefit District (TBP) projects included in the TIP. Klinkers and staff said the TBP’s Hundred‑seventeenth Avenue sidewalk project remains listed and was budgeted previously at about $1.2 million for 2026; staff said they will refine design and cost estimates and provide a mid‑year capital update. Council members asked whether other corridors (for example, One‑Hundred‑Sixteenth Avenue) should be reprioritized; staff said the original TBP resolution prioritized a set list of projects and that staff can evaluate whether to adjust sequencing.

Council members raised questions about how projects in the 6‑year plan were used for traffic impact fee calculations and how grant assumptions and local revenues affect the schedule. Staff said the TIP and 20‑year capital facilities plan inform impact‑fee work and that a full traffic impact‑fee update is underway; staff also noted that many figures beyond the first budget year are preliminary estimates.

Next steps: staff asked council to discuss tonight’s draft, allow staff to post the TIP for public hearing and return on July 1 with a proposed resolution for adoption. Staff will also coordinate with WSDOT and the Puget Sound Regional Council as needed to include federally funded and regionally significant projects in required statewide and regional programs.