Anacortes holds first public hearing on 2026 Transportation Improvement Program

The Anacortes City Council held the first of two public hearings June 16 on Ordinance 5001, the city’s proposed 2026 Transportation Improvement Program, which the city must adopt annually under state law.

The TIP sets project timing, cost estimates and funding sources for the next six years; Public Works Director Andy Rayum told the council the document is “required by state law to be updated annually and, approved by public hearing and ordinance.” The hearing is the first of two required steps before council adoption.

The program includes recurring annual projects — overlays, sidewalk repairs, and bike and pedestrian work — and a set of larger corridor projects. Rayum highlighted downtown pedestrian work on Ninth Street, a design proposal for Kansas Avenue, and safety and multimodal projects on Commercial Avenue and Oaks Avenue. He said some projects in years one through three already show funding or grant prospects while others remain unfunded and are shifted into years four through six until funding is identified.

Council members focused on clarity of the presentation and on funding status. Councilmember McDougal Moulton asked whether the council would review the line‑by‑line project entries; Rayum said edits could be requested before the next meeting. Councilmember Walters asked for a clearer legend and shading so readers can tell at a glance which cells are funded and which rely on grant prospects. Rayum confirmed the green shading in the overview denotes anticipated funding for many items, and that red grant titles indicate proposed grant sources that have not yet been secured.

Councilmember John Fantini and others pressed for more detail on the Kansas Avenue project, asking whether the TIP should call out a broader corridor rather than a single block. Rayum said the $450,000 design line item covers full design work for the one block slated for construction and a preliminary design for the surrounding corridor so staff can identify what upgrades would be needed for the corridor to function as a collector street. Rayum said the intent is to avoid opening a single block to through traffic without upgrading the rest of the corridor to collector standards.

Other projects discussed included a planned rechannelization and ADA ramp work on Commercial Avenue (construction slated to begin in July for part of the corridor), a multimodal separated pathway on Oaks Avenue, and potential safety‑action grants the city plans to pursue. Councilmembers asked for more explicit links between the TIP and the capital facilities plan (CFP) and for consistent project descriptions across the two documents so residents can compare them easily; Rayum agreed staff can harmonize the descriptions over time.

The hearing drew no public testimony specific to the TIP. Rayum invited council and the public to provide comments and edits before the council considers the ordinance again at the next meeting.

Council direction at the June 16 hearing was to refine the TIP presentation (clearer legend and funding column labels), add detail where council requested (especially for Kansas Avenue and the Q Avenue segments referenced), and to coordinate the TIP entries with the CFP where useful. The item will return to council for further action and a second public hearing prior to adoption.