Richland staff previews 2026 Transportation Improvement Program and lists priorities, funded projects and pending grants

Carla (presenter for the city’s transportation program) briefed the Richland City Council on May 27 on the draft Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) the city will advance for adoption later this month.

Why this matters: The TIP is the six‑year program the state uses to allocate federal and state transportation funds. Projects on the TIP either have secured funding or are planned and become the basis for applying for and obligating funds through the Ben Franklin Council of Governments and the Washington State Department of Transportation.

What staff said: Carla explained the TIP requirement under Washington state law and described the difference between “planned” and “secured” funding in the document. She told councilors several projects are being removed from the draft TIP because funds have been obligated and construction will start: Downtown Connectivity Improvements and several developer‑built projects (including the Queensgate Drive extension tied to Costco). Other projects are now partially or fully funded and moving toward design or construction: SR 240 (Airport Way) pedestrian crossing and improvements; South George Washington Way pavement preservation (federally funded overlay); the Center Parkway South extension (local funds); systemic pedestrian crossing safety improvements (rapid flashing beacons) and Phase 2 controlled intersection safety improvements (mini‑roundabouts and intersection warning beacons). Carla said the George Washington Way sidewalk between Comstock and Bridal will be an extensive project with slope stabilization and an engineered retaining wall, and that it is expected to cost over $1 million.

Funding highlights and priorities: Carla said the city received about $3 million for a Safe Routes to School suite of projects that will package sidewalks, RFP‑style bike lanes, school zone upgrades and traffic calming around five elementary schools. She said the SR 240 pedestrian bridge concept between Columbia Center Boulevard and Steptoe has roughly $5 million allocated but no firm release timeline for those funds; the project still needs additional funding for construction. Downtown Connectivity was noted as having a major federal award under review (presenters referenced approximately $18,000,000 in federal funding discussed internally). Carla listed Engage Boulevard improvements and other items still unfunded and said staff will use an upcoming Transportation System Plan (TSP) to develop a more objective project prioritization rubric.

Safety, data and partnerships: Council members asked about crash datasets and how WSDOT crash records align with local police reports; staff acknowledged discrepancies between the state dataset and the city’s incident records and suggested those data issues should be resolved to support prioritization and grant applications. Councilors also asked about coordination with Ben Franklin Transit on bus stop locations and service planning; staff said the city and Ben Franklin Transit have improved coordination and that bus stop decisions typically emerge during design with BFT input.

Next steps and schedule: Carla said the draft TIP has been posted for public review, Parks & Recreation has recommended the draft to council, and Planning Commission was scheduled to consider it before a June 3 public hearing and a council resolution recommending adoption. The state deadline to submit an updated TIP to the regional Council of Governments is June 30 so projects can move into the statewide TIP (STIP) and become eligible for state and federal obligating actions.

Council comments and related items: Councilors discussed street closure or seasonal activation of Center Parkway near Howard Amon Park for businesses and outdoor dining; staff said that policy direction would be a separate workshop topic. Councilors also praised expanded bike lanes and pedestrian improvements, asked staff to continue outreach on non‑TIP city transportation work (pavement preservation, Horn Rapids area economic development streets) and flagged red‑light camera policy as a possible future council decision.