Fife drafts future transportation project plans

The Fife City Council has lofty goals for the city’s 2010-2015 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) – more than $73 million worth, to be exact.

Council members discussed the most fiscally feasible projects, which are most likely to be completed over the next six years, at their June 16 study session. No formal decisions were necessary yet, as the Fife TIP entered the early planning stages. City Manager Steve Worthington said projects that do not receive funding this round will be returned to the list.

Every city in Washington is required to draft a TIP and provide annual updates before it can begin applying for transportation assistance. The actual TIP is a general list of all road works projects needed in the city with regards to the Comprehensive Plan.

On average, Fife has collected roughly $5 million, per year, over the past few years, in tribal, state, county, port or other grants awarded toward completion of transportation projects. This amount is still a drop in the bucket compared to how much the city would need to finish every project listed.

The most current draft of Fife’s TIP was revised to reflect the city’s planned construction work for Valley Avenue East widening, scheduled to begin this year. This project will be dropped from the list, so other priorities can move up.

Worthington said the Valley Avenue project and also improvements made to 54th Street are significant accomplishments for the city.

“These projects have probably been on the list since the TIP began,” Worthington said.

But, there is still significant funding needed to complete the Valley Avenue project, he noted. Current estimates list construction costs to be roughly $20 million. Costs like these are hard for the city to absorb. Although the city has not received much federal stimulus funding, Worthington said city officials have begun lobbying elsewhere for help.

“Congressman Adam Smith recently submitted a request on behalf of the city, to fund $9.7 million for projects through the federal Highway Reauthorization Bill,” Worthington said.

He also said U.S. Senator Patty Murray put in a request for $9 million to fund 70th Avenue repairs.

The three top projects on Fife’s TIP include continued repairs to Valley Avenue, 70th Avenue, which was endorsed for $500,000 from the Pierce County Regional Council, and the redesign work to the Port of Tacoma Road interchange overpass. Worthington said because of the city’s proximity to the port, many of the top projects on the list are areas with the most freight traffic, which can be a good thing.

“We need so many funding partners because the cost of projects is escalating. We can’t do it with just city dollars,” Worthington said. “These heavy freight corridors are most likely to get the most funding partners.”

The council plans to host a public hearing to discuss the 2010-15 TIP on July 14.

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