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Ellensburg council adopts 2026–2031 six‑year Transportation Improvement Plan
Summary
Council voted to adopt the city’s six‑year Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) after a staff presentation on recent complete‑streets projects, funding sources and the 2026–2031 project list; the plan relies heavily on competitive grants and authorizes staff to pursue funding opportunities.
The Ellensburg City Council adopted a six‑year Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) covering 2026–2031 and received an update on Complete Streets work completed in 2024 and planned for 2025.
Assistant City Engineer Josh Mattson told council that the city’s Complete Streets ordinance requires annual reporting and that 2024 project work focused on sidewalk gap filling, shared‑use pathways, bike lanes, ADA curb‑ramp upgrades and other multimodal elements. Mattson said Ellensburg depends heavily on grant funding for transportation capital projects; staff secured roughly 75% of 2025 transportation capital costs through a federal redistribution grant and reported that project match commitments are a common feature of those programs.
The adopted TIP lists a mix of projects: corridor and intersection safety improvements, shared‑use pathway extensions (including Vantage Highway and Palouse‑to‑Cascades reconnection segments), a historic Third Avenue paver and lighting project, the Helena Avenue multimodal project (design funded; construction contingent on future funding), University Way corridor safety countermeasures, and other multimodal street improvement projects. Mattson’s presentation showed secured awards for several projects, including approximately $432,000 in federal set‑aside surface‑transportation funds for the Third Avenue paver and roughly $1,900,000 in federal Surface Transportation Block Grant funds for Vantage Highway shared‑use pathway design.
Public comment included neighborhood concerns about the location and priorities of specific projects, questions about whether the Third Avenue pavers are the best use of matching funds, and requests for bicycle and pedestrian safety changes at busy intersections. An online speaker requested a roundabout at Mountain View Avenue and Bull Road rather than a signal; staff replied that consultants had evaluated both options and noted right‑of‑way and truck‑turning constraints may make a roundabout impractical at that location.
Council moved to adopt Resolution 2025‑12 approving the 2026–2031 TIP and authorized staff to submit listed projects for grant funding as opportunities arise. The resolution passed on council vote.
Why this matters: the TIP sets the city’s prioritized transportation capital projects and guides grant‑seeking and design work for the next six years. In Ellensburg’s case, the plan is heavily grant‑dependent; the council and staff underscored that timing and matching funds drive which projects move forward.
Council members asked staff to monitor pedestrian crossing timing where senior and mobility‑impaired residents cross arterial streets and to continue evaluating roundabout suitability in locations where balanced flows and right‑of‑way allow safer roundabout designs.
