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Tacoma staff previews additions to six-year transportation plan; flags match funding gap
Summary
Public works staff briefed the committee on amendments to the city—s required six-year transportation improvement program, proposing roughly $124 million in new projects and noting about $39 million in unidentified city match for grants; staff will return with a full draft in April for council review and a July 1 adoption deadline.
City transportation staff on March 11 briefed Tacoma—s Infrastructure, Planning & Sustainability Committee on proposed changes to the required six-year transportation improvement program (TIP), presenting a list of projects to add, projects to remove and the timing for public hearing and adoption.
The TIP is a state-required six-year inventory of capital transportation projects that must be submitted annually; in most cases projects must be listed in the TIP to be eligible for state and federal grant funding. Staff said they plan to return to the committee with a full draft on April 23, ask the full City Council for a May 6 study-session recommendation, and seek adoption by July 1 to meet state deadlines.
Staff highlighted scope and funding Jennifer Camrazel, subdivision manager in Public Works (Transportation), said the city proposes adding about $124 million in potential projects, while removing roughly $35 million of projects that are complete or consolidated. Darius Thompson, assistant division manager for Public Works project delivery, said the newly proposed additions are driven largely by federal and regional grant opportunities such as Reconnecting Communities and Safe Streets for All, alongside historic grant programs the city pursues.
Staff noted that approximately $39 million of city match is unidentified for projects currently proposed for addition; most grants require local match (commonly 12%–20%). The presentation showed grants, partnerships and identified city funds as primary funding sources, with partnerships accounting for a substantial share of the proposed additions and a portion of projects still listed as "unidentified grant" funding.
Examples and eligibility Staff cited examples of projects proposed for addition, including the Eleventh Street paving project and East Roosevelt arterial improvements; Darius Thompson also described recent removals such as completed striping projects, bridge work added as emergency repairs and other completed items. Jennifer Camrazel said staff work to prioritize projects carried forward from the city—s Transportation Mobility Plan and noted that not every maintenance activity is part of the TIP (chip sealing and pothole repairs are not capital TIP items).
Timing and next steps Staff will return to IPS on April 23 with a full draft and a summary of adds/removals. The intended sequence is: IPS feedback in April, a Council study session May 6, public hearing and adoption by July 1 so the updated TIP can be submitted to the state and regional agencies in time. Staff asked committee members to send any project-specific requests to the transportation staff before the April packet is finalized.
Ending Committee members thanked staff for the work and asked for clarification on bridge emergency additions and how the city—s lists feed into regional planning bodies; staff said projects from the TIP are used to populate regional lists managed by the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) and to qualify projects for federal funding programs. Staff will return in April with a draft for committee recommendation to the full council.
