This item contains two elements:
A) Each year the City of Yakima (City) is required by RCW 35.77.010 and RCW 36.81.121 to update its Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for submittal to the Washington State Department of Transportation. This Plan must include all transportation projects for which state gas tax revenue and federal revenue will be used.
The proposed 2021-2026 TIP includes seven (7) funded projects that have full or partial funding. These projects are:
Spring Creek Road Reconstruction; Phase 2
South 36th Avenue Reconstruction
Bravo Company Boulevard Extension
Cowiche Canyon Trail; Phases 1 and 2
34th Avenue / Fruitvale Blvd. & 34th Avenue / River Road Roundabouts
East Nob Hill Boulevard and Fair Avenue Intersection Improvements
McClure Elementary School Vicinity Safety Improvements
Two more projects have just recently been funded and will be added to the 2021-2026 STIP:
48th Avenue & Washington Avenue Intersection Improvements (Spring Creek)
72nd Avenue & Washington Avenue Roundabout
Attached is the complete 2021 – 2026 Six-Year TIP, which describes each project. The City will continue to seek funding for the remainder of the projects included in the 2021-2026 TIP.
City Council and the public are welcome to add other arterial system projects to the list. The Six-Year TIP project listing will be finalized at this hearing and sent to the Yakima Valley Conference of Governments (YVCOG) after approval.
In order to utilize federal funds, such as those administered by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Authority (FTA), projects must be included in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). The STIP is a prioritized program of transportation projects, complied from local and regional plans, along with the Washington Transportation System Plan (WTP), which provides a backbone for developing projects for the inter-modal transportation network in the State of Washington.
The STIP contains federally funded projects plus state and local projects that are regionally significant. These projects have been identified through the planning process as the highest priority for the available funding to the state’s Transportation Program. Planning activities of state and local governments are essential parts of integrated regional planning processes. Long range transportation planning is a part of the comprehensive land use planning carried out by local governments. Public participation is an integral part of the planning process at all levels. Local agencies are required to develop and adopt a Six-year Transportation Program; holding at least one public hearing during its development.
B) The City is required to amend the Yakima Urban Area Comprehensive Plan Capital Facilities Element by incorporating the adopted Six-Year TIP for 2021 to 2026. This will ensure that we are in compliance with the Growth Management Act and that we are consistent with the Comprehensive Plan as required. The amendment is limited to incorporating only those projects that are adopted in the Six-Year TIP and is not subject to the “once a year” change required under the laws of the Growth Management Act.
The Public Hearing notice has been provided to all Yakima-area media, including tu Decides’, KDNA Radio, El Sol de Yakima, Hispanavision, Bustos Media, and El Mundo.