Council adopts six‑year Transportation Improvement Program; businesses raise displacement concerns about Main Street Phase 3

The Mountlake Terrace City Council unanimously adopted the city’s 2026–2031 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Wednesday, a six‑year list of local street, sidewalk, bicycle and intersection projects the city plans to pursue and to use as a basis for applying for state and federal grants.

John Merrick, the city traffic engineer, told council the TIP updates the list of projects and funding sources aligned with the adopted 2025–2026 capital budget, cites annual revenue sources (transportation impact fees, state gas tax, Transportation Benefit District revenues) and one‑time grants, and identifies several larger grant applications the city is pursuing, including a WSDOT mobility grant and a BUILD grant application. He summarized programs such as the street overlay program, ADA sidewalk program, signal rehabilitation and the neighborhood traffic safety program, and highlighted several projects under consideration, including multi‑modal improvements on Main Street and neighborhood bike and sidewalk infill projects.

The TIP also lists…