Planning commission recommends council adopt six-year TIP for 2027–2032

The Everett Planning Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to recommend that the City Council adopt a six‑year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) covering 2027–2032.

Tom Hood of Public Works told the commission the TIP organizes projects into financially constrained and unconstrained lists and is updated annually to reflect funding opportunities and the transportation element of the Everett comprehensive plan. He said several large regional mobility projects pushed the TIP’s summarized price tag to about $3.8 billion, noting those projects are led by the Washington State Department of Transportation but are listed because the city supports them for network relief.

Commissioners questioned how projects are prioritized and what the bolding in the packet signifies. Hood said the constrained list contains projects that already have some funding or are competitive for grants in the six‑year window; bolded items are simply new to this year’s TIP, not an ordinal priority. He also said the TIP’s project priorities are organized around community connections, safety, economic benefit, climate and health, and regional coordination, and that several projects were informed by the city’s Vision Zero work.

During discussion some commissioners sought clearer guidance on which projects are shovel‑ready and how local matching commitments signal municipal priorities. One commissioner criticized the volume of bicycle projects on the list, saying, “I don’t love the list — if we could remove every bicycle, I’d be happy,” and later referenced roughly $62,000,000 in bicycle investments shown on the packet. Hood replied that programs and grant streams have different emphases and that many bicycle projects come from the bike master plan and safety action plan.

Commissioner [name recorded in minutes as] moved approval of Commission Resolution 26‑02 recommending council adopt the TIP; the motion was seconded and passed on a roll call with recorded votes in favor from Chair Shelby, Commissioner Ballard, Commissioner Rutledge and Commissioner Welch. The commission’s recommendation will be transmitted to City Council for formal adoption.

What’s next: The TIP will be presented to City Council following the commission’s resolution recommendation; individual grant applications and project funding schedules will continue to evolve as grants are pursued and awards are received.