Shoreline holds public hearing on six-year Transportation Improvement Plan with $163 million unfunded

Shoreline City Council held a public hearing April 14 on Resolution 543, the proposed 2026–2031 Transportation Improvement Plan, after a staff presentation outlining project additions, cost updates and financing gaps.

Senior Transportation Planner Jeff Rager told the council the TIP is required by state law and serves as a six‑year prioritized list of transportation projects that informs the capital improvement program and eligibility for grants. He said staff updated project scopes and cost estimates and added five projects that were previously listed as emerging. The TIP contains roughly $452 million in total project costs, Rager said, of which about $163 million remains unfunded and $224 million more would be needed to advance the full list of projects.

The proposed additions include safety and reconfiguration work at Northeast 170th Street, a signal upgrade at 150th and Fifth, a 20th Avenue NE bikeway, sidewalks on 30th Avenue NE and frontage improvements on 205th/5th tied to the capital plan, Rager said. He recommended the council hold the hearing, provide policy direction and consider adoption of Resolution 543 on May 19.

Residents who testified focused on tree canopy, drainage and pedestrian safety. Kathleen Russell, speaking for Safe Shoreline Trees, asked that the city provide a web page documenting tree plantings and future plans and requested an opportunity for public comment at 30% design for TIP projects that would remove public trees. "We ask the following: that residents have the opportunity for public comment at 30% of TIP projects when public trees will be removed, and that equivalent tree canopy replace public trees that are removed for TIP projects," Russell said.

Bonnie Berry urged the council to treat trees as assets and to plan replacements by canopy equivalence, noting that replacement of a removed large tree may require multiple young trees to equal lost leaf surface area.

Several council members and staff discussed project-level concerns. Councilmember Muschovic asked staff to clarify whether sidewalks proposed on NE 200th near a parking lot would include curb cuts and confirmed that sensitivity and drainage issues would require additional design work. Rager and staff said sidewalk design would be evaluated with drainage and right‑of‑way constraints in mind.

Councilmember Scully asked about the funding gap on the Trail Along the Rail (project 19); staff said an earlier allocation financed feasibility and related work and that a master‑planning grant is programmed for 2026 to evaluate phasing and funding options. On the question of accelerating a HAWK pedestrian signal near Meridian Park, staff said the HAWK device lies outside the current phase limits of a near‑complete project and that pulling it forward would risk schedule and grant obligations, including FEMA BRIC funds tied to the current phase.

Multiple council members stressed the value of early public input. Staff said the city aims to provide preliminary arborist reports and solicit community comment before the 30% and 60% design milestones when public input can most effectively shape outcomes.

Councilmembers also discussed bicycle facility design standards, citing level‑of‑traffic‑stress guidance and the limited use of shared‑lane markings in high‑volume corridors. Several council members supported exploring protected bike‑lane treatments with vertical bollards where right‑of‑way and maintenance (street sweeping, debris removal) allow.

Rager closed by reminding the council there was no action tonight on Resolution 543. Staff recommended the council provide policy direction on priorities and return for potential adoption at the May 19 meeting.

The council did not take final action on the TIP at the April 14 meeting; the public record on this proposal will remain open through the council's May 19 docket when the council may vote on Resolution 543.