Critical infrastructure projects in Tacoma receive grant funding

The City of Tacoma has recently received $10.6 million in state grants to pay for critical infrastructure projects.

By: Michaela Ely

On Jan. 14, the City of Tacoma announced that its council obtained $10.6 million to fix major roads and improve traffic safety, in addition to other issues. 

These grants were collectively awarded by the Puget Sound Regional Council, the Transportation Improvement Board and the Washington State Department of Transportation to fund six new infrastructure projects that comply with the City’s Vision Zero Action Plan. This plan’s goal is to eliminate traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries by 2035.

There are six major projects being funded by this grant, including the Puyallup Avenue Corridor project, the 6th Avenue and Tacoma Avenue pavement preservation project and the planning for the Tacoma Mall Loop Road. 

“Those are all essentially programming for the year 2027 through 28, so that’s the biennium that they’re looking to have those funds obligated. Sometimes there are opportunities to go a little bit early, but right now, the schedule is 2027 for all three projects,” City of Tacoma Grant Coordinator Dan Hansen said. “In terms of when we start spending the funds, Puyallup Avenue Corridor and Sixth Avenue are both funded for construction, whereas the Tacoma Mall Loop Road is a planning study.”  

The planning study for the Tacoma Mall Loop Road is meant to analyze the current neighborhoods surrounding the mall to develop a loop road. The goal is to improve pedestrian safety and bicycle connectivity in the area. 

In addition, bicyclist and pedestrian safety are two key aspects of several current infrastructure projects in the city. 

“This 6th Avenue [project] is also downtown, but up by Wright Park, kind of the north end of stuff, and this one’s primarily a preservation project,” Hansen said.  

The project will have workers grind and overlay the pavement to make it smoother. In addition, they will have the opportunity to update the paint on the roads. 

“I think the plan right now is to look at the existing bike lanes and redo those in a way to kind of improve bicycle connectivity on Sixth Avenue,” Hansen said. 

There is one project funded by the grants that is set to start in the summer of 2025, the East Roosevelt Avenue Arterial Improvements project. This project will reconstruct the pavement from East 38th Street to East Sherman Street and close sidewalk gaps in order to improve pedestrian safety in the area.  

Many projects that have received this kind of funding are not usually slated to start quickly, often with a timeline that can be one or two years into the future. 

“The other two [projects], I believe, are going to be starting design essentially any time now, first quarter of 2025, for the Sprague signal improvements and the 56th and A Street crossing,” Hansen said. 

While the grants don’t fund the current construction project occurring on 21st Street, which is right next to the UW Tacoma campus, Hansen was able to provide some insight on the details. 

“It looks like a traffic signal at 21st and C [Street], and it will also interconnect the traffic signals with 21st and Jefferson, which is 300 feet to the west. And what that interconnect is it’s just usually, like a fiber optic wire, or something that connects the two signal controllers together so they can coordinate better, and coordinate their timing,” Hansen said. 

Most of the funded projects, while they may cause road closures, will eventually result in traffic improvements within Tacoma, especially with the Puyallup Avenue Corridor project. 

The goal of this large project is to improve access to the Tacoma Dome transit center, the sidewalks, traffic signals and bike lanes. Hansen hopes this will refine the traffic flow and help it progress throughout the city. 

Safety was a large consideration for the city council when it comes to the projects that were prioritized for this funding. The Vision Zero Action Plan and Safe Routes to Schools Plan are two items that are looked at when considering which projects should be prioritized. 

“We always try to prioritize by safety. So, where the most crashes happen our vulnerable users, bikes, [pedestrians] are, you know, unsafe. And then equity is also a big one too. So, where in our city has been historically under invested that we really need to start putting resources in, and that’s how we start to pick our projects,” City of Tacoma Staff Liaison Carrie Wilhelme said. 

All of these infrastructure projects, as well as other key projects can be found on the City of Tacoma website under Capital Projects.