Council directs staff to accept $1.5M TIB grant and proceed with Central Way raised bike-lane alternative

The City of Kirkland received a $1.5 million Transportation Improvement Board Complete Streets grant for Central Way bike-lane improvements, and on June 2 the council directed staff to proceed with the project and the recommended design, Alternative 2.

Public Works project manager Jessica Clemens described four options considered during a prior study session. Alternative 2 proposes a raised 6-foot bike lane and an 8-foot sidewalk, including a small encroachment on the adjacent park requiring a modest fence shift (maximum 3.7 feet at one corner). Staff estimated the total project budget at about $3.98 million (transportation share roughly $2.9 million; park share about $1.1 million).

Clemens and councilors discussed scope and cost drivers: slope work, retaining walls, fence and netting replacement at the ball field, upgraded lighting, utilities and soil-cell planting systems for long-term tree health. Council member Pascoe questioned per-foot cost; staff noted those additional elements drive the price beyond simple pavement.

Staff proposed funding the local match from the Transportation Benefit District contingency (current balance approximately $4.2 million), repurposed amounts from other CIP projects (some near-term scopes and $300,000 from a preservation project) and, if needed, limited REIT reserves. The council asked staff to return with a TBD reconciliation and to preserve higher-priority TBD projects. Council directed staff to accept the grant, advance the design as Alternative 2, and pursue the funding approach described; the motion passed 6-0.

Next steps: staff will return with CIP updates, a fiscal note for approval, and any needed refinements to scope or funding.