Federal Way’s Land Use and Transportation Committee on its final meeting of the year forwarded several items intended to support commute trip reduction (CTR) work across the region.

John Howard, Federal Way transportation planner and employee transportation coordinator, presented an interlocal agreement under which Federal Way will provide CTR technical services to the city of SeaTac for $45,000 per year. Howard told the committee Federal Way staff and the city’s traffic division will perform the work; SeaTac will pay Federal Way quarterly. Councilmembers asked whether the fee covers salary and benefits for staff doing the work; Howard said the amount is adequate for the current workload.

The committee also considered a Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) CTR technical fund award of $44,300 for the 2025–27 biennium. Howard described CTR as a state‑mandated, funded program to improve air quality and reduce single‑occupant vehicle trips by encouraging employer‑based alternatives such as vanpools, carpools, incentivized bike commuting, and Orca cards. Staff said the work funded by the grant is primarily planning, surveys, employer outreach and reporting rather than purchasing vehicles.

Separately, staff presented a Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) grant offer for $500,000 to match an existing $500,000 city allocation to construct the City Center Greenway — pedestrian and bicycle improvements on 20th Avenue South and South 308th Street intended to connect Federal Way High School with the city center and light‑rail access. Presenters said designs and public engagement are underway and warned the preferred design could reduce on‑street parking in parts of the neighborhood.

All three items were forwarded to the Jan. 6 City Council consent agenda or first reading as appropriate. Staff indicated some programs may expand as sites come online and ridership or employer participation grows; the committee requested continued outreach and clarification of eligible grant uses.