SRTC proposes over $818 million in projects

The Spokane Regional Transportation Council (SRTC) is proposing to invest over $800 million in the local transportation system in the next several years and is looking for input on the projects that money would be spent on.

SRTC has completed the draft 2019-2022 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and is holding a public comment period and open house to gather feedback from the public on it. The TIP is a document of transportation projects and programs that jurisdictions within Spokane County plan to build or implement during the upcoming four years. All projects receiving federal funds are required to be included in it.

The TIP is updated with new projects annually and made available to members of the public for review and comment. It includes project names and descriptions, jurisdictions sponsoring them, funding attached to each project, and where the funding came from (local, state or federal).

The 2019-2022 TIP contains 98 projects; seven of them new to the TIP this year. It also contains a total of $818,439,707 in local transportation investments to be spent in the upcoming four years —including projects on the West Plains.

Projects in the TIP vary widely, from those that maintain and preserve existing roads to construction of new facilities like the North Spokane Corridor, and projects that encourage economic development. There are also bridge replacement projects, public transit improvements and new bicycle and pedestrian facilities included in the document.

The draft 2019-2022 TIP can be viewed at http://www.srtc.org/transportation-improvement-program. To see how projects will be distributed throughout Spokane County, click the Transportation Improvement Program interactive map on that page.

A public open house on Wednesday, Sept. 19 from 4-6 p.m. will provide an opportunity for members of the public to review the TIP and ask questions.

The open house is at the STA Plaza, 701 W. Riverside Ave. in the second-floor rotunda. Staff from SRTC, Spokane Transit, the Washington State Department of Transportation and other local jurisdictions will be on hand to answer questions.

Those who can’t attend can still share their thoughts on the Transportation Improvement Program. A public comment period runs through Sunday, September 30. Comments can be emailed to [email protected], mailed to SRTC at 421 W. Riverside, Suite 500, Spokane, WA 99201 or phoned in to (509) 343-6370.