Lacey City Council green lights Transportation Improvement Program 

The Lacey City Council adopted the 2027 Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and Transportation Improvement Mitigation List, as the city moved forward with millions of dollars in road projects.

The plan, as outlined in a TIP summary, includes nearly $200 million in road projects, with improvements planned for Marvin Road, Martin Way, Carpenter Road and Britton Parkway corridor.

The plan also adds one new capital project, revises the mitigation fee list and raises the cap on charges developers pay toward road improvements tied to their projects. 

The council unanimously approved Resolution 1184 during a meeting on Tuesday, July 21. The resolution formally adopts both the TIP and the mitigation list as city policy, and directs staff to file the updated plan with Washington State Department of Transportation. 

Major road projects 

Transportation Engineer Chris Stolberg told the council that TIP identifies three categories: projects awaiting state or federal grant funds, projects paid for through developer mitigation fees, and projects considered significant to the region. 

Federal law requires transportation improvement programs to be updated every four years, while Washington law requires cities to review programs annually. All projects included in the TIP must be consistent with the city’s Transportation Comprehensive Plan. 

Among the larger items on the list is a $52 million project to construct the Martin Way and Interstate 5 interchange, which is funded partly through federal highway safety dollars.

The plan also includes $23 million to widen Carpenter Road between Martin Way and Britton Parkway, and $19 million to widen Marvin Road between Britton Parkway and Columbia Drive. 

The only substantive addition this year is College Street Corridor Phase 3, an estimated $16 million project added after the city applied for grant funding. 

"It's better to put those in up front," Stolberg said. "Because if we don't include it in the update, and then we have to go back and add it later, it's a longer process with the state to get that added to the TIP." 

One grant application for the project was unsuccessful, Stolberg said, but it received a "highly recommended" designation, which he believes should make the project competitive in the next funding cycle. 

Mitigation fee changes 

The mitigation list update raises the city's residential trip cap to $2,528 from $2,454, a 3 percent increase based on the Engineering News-Record Construction Cost Index published in July. The fee is charged to new development based on the number of vehicle trips a project is expected to generate, and it helps fund road improvements near that growth. 

City Manager Rick Walk said the College Street extension near Interstate 5 remains on the mitigation list despite being substantially complete. 

The city can continue collecting fees from nearby development after construction ends, he said. Staff typically remove projects once fee collections reach 30 percent to 40 percent of total costs. Some projects stay listed longer to allow additional collection, according to Walk. 

The Lacey Planning Commission held a public hearing on the update on June 10. No public comment was received. The commission recommended approval to the council.