WSDOT seeks comment on 4-year program of transportation projects

OLYMPIA – More than 1,100 statewide transportation projects using $3.7 billion in federal funds are included in the draft 2021-2024 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, called STIP for short. This compilation of prioritized transportation improvement projects is now ready for public review and comment. 

The Washington State Department of Transportation annually develops the STIP from local agency, metropolitan and regional transportation improvement programs. The draft 2021-2024 STIP is a four-year program of multimodal transportation projects identified through state, metropolitan, regional, tribal, and local agency planning processes. Projects identified as using Federal Highway Administration or Federal Transit Administration funds must be included in the STIP to authorize the expenditure of federal funds.

Projects listed in Eastern Washington and the Spokane region range from rumble strip and guardrail replacements to pedestrian path work on U.S. Highway 2 between Fairchild Air Force Base and Reardan to illumination replacement on Interstate 90 from Sprague Avenue in Spokane to Four Lakes.

The comment period for the STIP is the final step of the community engagement process that began locally during development of the individual transportation improvement programs. WSDOT will accept comments until 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16. Any comments received by WSDOT will be sent to the local agency, metropolitan or regional planning organization for their consideration.

The STIP is a four-year, fiscally constrained, prioritized multimodal transportation program of state, local, tribal, and public transportation (transit) projects. The STIP includes highways, streets, roads, railroads, transit-hubs, park-and-ride lots, bridges, sidewalks, bike lanes, ferry terminals, trails, and safety projects. 

The collaborative effort between WSDOT, local agencies, metropolitan and regional planning organizations ensures projects are consistent with local, regional, and state long-range plans. Some county projects are not included in the draft STIP because state law requires counties to complete their transportation improvement programs by the end of the year; those projects are amended into the final STIP in January. 

The current 2020-23 STIP can be viewed online and a similar, searchable database of the 2021-24 STIP will be created in January 2021, following FHWA and FTA approval. Approximately 1,200 statewide transportation improvement projects utilizing $3.3 billion in federal funds are in the 2020-23 STIP statewide, including Cheney’s Washington Street Preservation project and the Cheney High School/Betz Elementary School bicycle and pedestrian safe routes work being completed.

Other West Plains projects include the Airway Heights U.S. Highway 2 shared use path project between Hayford to Deer Heights roads and railroad crossing identification and signage along Espanola Road.

Written comments can be sent to: Nancy Huntley, WSDOT, P.O. Box 47390, Olympia WA 98504-7390, e-mail: [email protected], or by fax at 360-705-6822. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, any mailed or faxed comments will be reviewed weekly during the public comment period.